So it Goes
by GCatsPjs
Summary: 8th story in the "Saint in the Shadows" Series. What difference does six weeks make? B&B, A&A, G&J... Those last two only make sense if you've been keeping up! Casefic-ish mixed with our favorite characters!
1. Hot Shot

_**HI Everyone! Stories in this series, in order… While it's not necessary to read all of them, it's recommended… :**_

 _ **Saint in the Shadows**_

 _ **Spaces in Between**_

 _ **Shades of Grace**_

 _ **Shadows in the Sun**_

 _ **Saints, Sinners, and Saviors**_

 _ **Something is Lost**_

 _ **Space in the Soul**_

* * *

 **So it Goes**

 **February 12-**

As soon as the door to the lab opened, the sound of gunshots made Aiden jump. Slow, methodical gunshots, one after the next, he cringed as he looked across the lab toward Temperance's office. He walked toward the office slowly, his eyes closing as each shot rang out. Just as he stepped to the office, Harding turned into the doorway from inside, blocking his entrance.

He stepped forward, causing Aiden to take a step back. "You need to go talk to her." Ace said, his voice low and serious.

"Me? Why do I have to talk to her?" Aiden asked, his face blanching. "I don't have to talk to her. She has a gun, Ace."

"Yes, she has a gun." He nodded. "I know she has a gun. I know this, because she has been testing that ammunition for a half hour now, Fitz. A half hour!" He said, stepping forward. "Go talk to her!" Ace pointed toward the ballistics room.

Aiden turned around, sighing as he walked around the platform. He noticed that most of the squints were wearing noise cancelling headphones and were completely unfazed by the jarring gunshots. He stepped around the platform, nearly running into Hodgins as he stood with his own headphones on, handing Aiden a pair.

"Thanks." He mouthed, taking the headphones. He indicated he needed to ask Hodgins a question and the scientist pulled his headphone from one of his ears. "You wouldn't happen to have a flak jacket on hand, would you?" He winced.

Hodgins laughed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, man. You're on your own on this one. Duck and cover." He shrugged with a smile. He put his headphone back on his ear, walked past Aiden and up onto the platform.

Aiden took a deep breath and walked toward the back of the lab. He put the noise cancelling headphones on and stepped up to the window to the ballistics room. The door was closed, but the sound was still very loud. He watched as Antonia aimed into the catch tank, her face twisted in concentration, the goggles settled on her nose as her dark eyes focused deadly attention on the barrel of the gun, and where she was shooting. If she saw him in the window, she made no overt indication other than the slightly increased time between shots. She turned away from tank, facing away from the window, popped the cartridge, and set the gun down. She then pulled her headphones from her ears.

He pulled the headphones from his own ears and heard the low buzz of the door being unlocked, and he stepped slowly inside. He watched as she moved some items around on the tray beside her. "Are you done testing everyone's nerves?" He asked playfully, though he knew that a joke was a very dangerous move. She said nothing, so he walked across the room, allowing the door to remain slightly open, jokingly thinking to himself that it might be a good idea if people could hear his cries for help. He walked to her side and glanced at her as she turned and stared at him, picked up a full cartridge and slammed it into the gun she was holding. Her face was deadly serious, her eyes dark and deep.

"I have one more round to go through." She said, watching as he nodded. "Why are you here?" She turned away from him, pulling her goggles down around her neck, she placed the gun down on the tray.

"I wanted to talk to you." He said, lifting an eyebrow, she turned to face him, lifting her own eyebrow in return. "You left my place pretty angrily last night."

"I was not angry." She snapped back.

"Tex, you left tire marks on the street outside of my apartment." He said, leaning against the table, crossing his arms.

"I was frustrated." She said, crossing her arms, she faced him with narrowed eyes.

"I understand." He nodded.

"I don't think that you do, Agent Fitzgerald." She said, pressing her finger very lightly into his chest, she kept her eyes on his. "How long have we been dating?"

"A little over three months?" He shrugged.

"It will be six weeks next week, Agent Fitzgerald." She said, stepping a little closer to him, her back to the door. "Six weeks." She narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah? Hm, seemed like longer." He said, narrowing his own eyes, a smile was rising on his lips playfully as he stood nose to nose with her. He could feel her sliding her fingertips beneath his tie.

"So, what are you waiting for, buddy?" She whispered breathily into his face. "Are you blind?" She asked, her breath hitching a bit when she felt his leg against hers.

He held her stare and she gripped his tie a little harder in her hand, forcing a bit of tension into the strip of fabric. He could feel the shiver in her skin and his smile slipped off his face. He swallowed hard. "Tex." He whispered.

"I am an extremely passionate woman, Aiden." She whispered, her voice taking on a husky tone that was making his palms sweat. "I am a passionate, needy, gracious, sexy woman, Aiden. I think that I have been needlessly patient, and thoroughly clear on this subject."

"Tex." He whispered, feeling the heat of her breath as her eyes burned into his. "I'm trying very hard to be a gentleman."

"I never asked you to be a gentleman." She growled, pulling his face close to hers, he could see the passion in her eyes, the fire, and he almost whimpered when he watched her bottom lip slip between her teeth for a split second, her eyes flicking to his lips and back again.

"Tex." He whispered, swallowing hard. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye, and could barely see the FBI issue shoe that was sticking in the doorway. "Tex, I really should go." He whispered.

"Someone is behind me?" She whispered, as the passion that had been building between them seemed to disintegrate into the air.

"Mmhm." He nodded, swallowing again. "I should go."

She narrowed her eyes, unsure if it was a ruse to be released from her clutches. She watched his green eyes, darkened with passion as she smiled sweetly. "We will continue this conversation later." She whispered.

"Hopefully without firearms." He replied, leaning forward to kiss her softly, prying her fingers tenderly from his tie.

She smiled slyly and pulled her goggles up onto her eyes, followed by her headphones, keeping her eyes on him. "Hopefully." She winked. He smiled tenderly at her and touched her cheek as he slid out from in front of her, and walked toward the door. His eyes met Booth's, and watched as the other man's eyebrow lifted curiously. "Good Morning, sir." He said softly. He then handed Booth the headphones, sidestepped him and covered his ears as he quickly walked away.

Booth watched the younger agent walk away for a moment. He pulled his foot out of the door and latched it as he put the headphones on just as Antonia started shooting into the tank again, this time at a much faster rate. She finished off the clip very quickly with resounding sigh. She then popped it from the gun, dropping it onto the tray as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Booth shook his head and pulled the headphones off as he watched his daughter turn around and smile at him, waving through the window. He watched as a slight blush rose in her cheeks, just as his phone rang. He shook his head and lifted the phone to his ear. "Booth." After a moment of listening to the person on the other line, he sighed. "You got it, we'll be there." He then hung up the phone and tapped on the window, watching Antonia's attention flick to him again. She buzzed for the lock, and he opened it. "Clean up your toys, we have a case, kid." He said, watching her smirk and shake her head.

"Tell them to wait for me." She said, moving to the end of the tank to gather her bullets.

"You got it." He said, and turned to go inform the rest of the team of their impending case.


	2. Ground Rules Double

Arriving at the scene, Antonia pulled the lab vehicle down the alleyway slowly. The intern that was sitting beside her was quiet for most of the ride, though his eyes kept moving in her direction. "What is it, Mr. Gordon?" She asked, when she noticed that his eyes were once again on her.

"Nothing." He shrugged awkwardly, turning his gaze out to the activity that was surrounding the crime scene. Booth had secured the crime scene, and following that, her mother and Ace had arrived, along with Agent Fitzgerald. There were other techs milling about as well, but her only concern was the remains. She climbed from the vehicle, and walked around the back, nearly running into Alex Gordon once again. "Mr. Gordon, can you please watch where you're going?" She asked, watching as the younger intern nodded, taking a step back, his eyes remaining on her as she opened up the back of the van.

"May I shadow you, Doctor Booth?" He asked nervously.

She turned her head and glanced at him with a confused expression. "You should be shadowing Doctor Brennan, not me." She said, climbing inside, she gathered what she needed for the crime scene. She picked up her bag, and handed Alex one, and was about to jump out of the back of the van when a hand extended in her direction. She smiled a bit when she caught Aiden's eyes with hers, and gratefully accepted his hand. "We've talked about the ground rules, Agent Fitzgerald." She said, grasping his hand tightly and jumping from the back of the van, she let her hand slip slowly from his.

"Perhaps you could go over them again?" he asked, following behind her as she approached the crime scene tape. "I seem to have forgotten."

"Well." She said, ducking under the tape. "First of all, I'm the forensics expert." She said, glancing in his direction as he followed after her, with Alex struggling to keep up with their quick pace. "Now, I'll always defer to Doctor Brennan, of course, but I am the authority when there is a body involved." She stopped, as he nearly ran into her. A smile rose on her face, and he could see a twinkle in her eye. "And second, you will not flirt with me." She said, nodding at him as the corner of his lip turned up. "Do not smile at me, do not talk to me in any tone unless it is professional." She narrowed her eyes, and shook her head. She turned and continued toward the scene, as she rooted through her bag for gloves. He gently put his hand on her back, to ensure she didn't trip, but she stopped and looked up at him. "Don't lead me from place to place… I'm not helpless, and I'm not a dog." She smirked.

"Of course not."

"Don't chide me, tease me, or placate me. No nicknames."

"You've got it, Tex." He winked, watching her smile at him with a shake of her head.

"Never poke, prod, or otherwise touch remains. Not with your finger, not with a stick…and always… always wear latex gloves at a crime scene." She said, slapping a pair of gloves into his hand, she watched him give her a fake sneer. "Behave yourself." She whispered as she turned around and quickly approached her mother and Agent Harding.

"It's nice of you to join us, Doctor Booth, Mr. Gordon." Temperance said without looking up.

"It's weird when you say that." Harding said, looking up for affirmation of his thought, but nobody bit. "Doctor Booth. Just weird."

"That's my name, Agent Harding." Antonia replied, helping her mother with some evidence collection.

"I just don't think I'll ever get used to it." He shrugged.

"Will you ever get used to being quiet long enough to take notes, Christopher?" Temperance asked, looking up at him.

"Sorry about that, Doc." Harding said, glancing at the deceased man lying before them. "What do we have?"

"Caucasian male, about thirty-five to forty years old. It looks like with the amount of blood, he was killed here." Temperance said as she and Antonia lifted the body. "Appears to be several stab wounds in the chest and back. "Mr. Gordon, can you please do a full search in this vicinity, see if you can find a murder weapon."

"Looks like it's not serrated." Antonia said, "But perhaps has a hilt, like a hunting knife of some sort."

"You're getting that all from the stab wounds?" Aiden asked curiously, catching Antonia and Temperance's matching blank expression. "Just, trying to learn here." He said, watching as both of them smiled.

"Yes, Agent Fitzgerald." Temperance replied. "Note that the wounds are not jagged? A jagged wound would indicate serration."

"And the fact that there is bruising surrounding the wound." Antonia finished, "That would indicate that something was hitting the body as the stabbing was occurring, like the hilt of a knife."

"Ah, gotcha." Aiden nodded, taking notes. "Learn something new every day." He said, looking up to see the other squint just standing staring at Antonia and Temperance. "Hey, you… Didn't Doctor Brennan just tell you to go look around for the murder weapon?"

"Uh, what? Me? Yeah, Oh, right. I'm sorry." Alex stammered as he turned around stumbling off to do as he was told.

"Your little shadow can't seem to keep his eyes off you." Aiden said, watching Antonia look up at him with a glower.

"Jealous, are we, Agent Fitzgerald?" She asked. She pointed to something that Temperance was looking at, and asked a question, watching her nod.

Aiden didn't reply, just lifted his eyebrow at her, giving her a skeptical glance. She looked up at him and shook her head with a smile. "I'm going to take a look around." He said, turning to do a cursory look around the crime scene.

Aiden walked around the scene, slipping the latex gloves onto his hands as he walked. The scene was beneath a highway overpass. There was trash and dirt, potholes and graffiti. It didn't look like it was frequented by vagrants all that often, but it was possible that they only were there in the evening. It was a bit of a secluded location, not a surprising place to find a body considering there were no homes or apartment buildings nearby. It hadn't snowed in a couple of days, and what little snow that there had been was not anywhere that anyone had been walking. He glanced at a sewer grate, his eyes focusing on the size of the holes in it, and he heard someone shuffle up next to him.

"Think it fell down there?" Booth asked, catching the younger agents eyes. He watched Aiden wince. "She'll go down there if she has to."

"I'm not telling her that she has to go down into the sewer, Booth." Aiden replied, looking over at him, and back to the sewer grate.

"Doesn't have to be her. Hodgins loves doing this kind of thing." Booth shrugged.

"It's not in the sewer, boys." Antonia said, walking up between them, she looked at the grate. "But just for fun, let's pull off the grate and take a look." She said, looking between the two of them, she smiled as they both rolled their eyes. "Come on, let's not let those big muscles go to waste." She said, handing them each a set of work gloves.

Booth and Aiden each put the gloves on, and stood beside the grate as they gripped it tightly and pulled at it, loosening it from its hold on the ground. They lifted it onto the curb, released it carefully, and both took a step back as Antonia knelt down and peered in with her flashlight. "There doesn't appear to be anything in the catchment." She said, looking back and forth as she stood up and looked between the two men. "Thank you." She said, turning around, she walked back to the remains.

Booth looked to Aiden, and nodded, and the two of them lifted the grate back into place. "Sometimes I think she just likes to make us do things." Booth muttered to Aiden.

"I put nothing past her, sir." Aiden said with a smile, as he and Booth continued to walk around the scene. "Absolutely nothing." They looked up as Ace announced that body transport had arrived, and that everything they needed would be delivered to the Jeffersonian.


	3. Lunch Date

Antonia pushed the metal bar on the door, and smiled at the inviting ring of the bell that smacked unceremoniously on the door. She scanned the seats and saw a familiar figure at a table, his back to her, his head down as he looked through a file. She walked toward him and touched his shoulder as she watched his eyes flick up to meet hers, a smile on his face. "There you are." He said, leaning up as she dropped a kiss on his lips and ran her hand over his shoulder to sit down on the chair next to the window. "I was just thinking about you."

"You were thinking about me?" She asked, taking his hand as she glanced out of the window and he helped her pull her coat off. "I'm sure you were just wondering where I was." She smiled. "So they're not here yet. Big surprise." She laughed.

"Grace's appointment was about an hour ago, so they said they'd be a little after noon. We can get our food if you want." Aiden said, glancing over as the waitress behind the counter waved, he got her attention. He pointed at the table, and when she smiled, they knew their order was put in.

"You're getting good at that." She said, laughing as Aiden shrugged.

"It's easy if you get the same thing every day." He replied, giving her a nudge with his shoulder, she leaned on his arm for a minute, and he turned in his seat to watch her for a moment. "I'm sorry about last night." He whispered, watching her elbow lean on the table, and her eyes to meet his. She leaned her head on her hand and watched him for a moment.

"I'm sorry that I over-reacted." She said softly. "You never answered my question though." She said, laughing when he rolled his eyes.

"No, your father is not paying me in cash to keep me from sleeping with you." He whispered, listening to the happiness in in her laughter. "I'm just trying to get to know you better, pamper you…"

"Torture me." She said, moving a bit closer to him as he made a face at her and kissed her nose. She looked up as the waitress brought them each a cup of water, and Antonia looked up and thanked her, her attention moving toward the window as she noticed her sister getting out of the car, and Jack waiting on the curb for her. She waved through the window, and then turned to Aiden as he winked at her, smiling at her shaking head. She glanced to the folder. "What are you working on anyway? We have no information on the case yet, it literally happened two hours ago."

"This is just some stuff I'm finishing up from desk work. I'm glad that I finally have the sling off, so I can do some actual field work again. I like working with you." He said, glancing to see Grace and JV arriving at the table. He stood up to greet them, shaking Jack's hand, and giving Grace a hug, they sat down across from them, and Aiden sat in his seat. "So how was your physical therapy appointment? How's the shoulder?" He asked, feeling Antonia's hand on his leg, he put his hand on top of it, and gave her a sideways glance.

"It's almost back to working order. I'm hoping to be off desk duty in another month." Grace said, her eyes flicking to Jack as she smiled across to her sister and Aiden. "How are you two doing?"

"Fine." Antonia said, glancing up as their lunches arrived. A burger and fries were placed in front of each, with JV having extra fries on his plate. They thanked the waitress, and she walked away. "A new case came in today." Antonia said as she grabbed a fry off Aiden's plate and popped it in her mouth.

"Will you stop that, you have your own fries." He said playfully, watching her shrug at him innocently, look him straight in the eye and take another one.

"You need to learn." JV said, indicating his plate of fries that were overflowing as Grace pulled one and popped it into her mouth. "Always get extra fries if you're taking the Booth girls out to lunch."

"He has so much to learn." Antonia said, taking another fry from Aiden's plate, he reached across and took one from hers, she tried to slap his hand but he was too quick.

"So what's the case?" Grace asked, looking across the table at her sister, taking a bite of her burger.

"Typical so far, you know how it is. Downtime today while everything is catalogued, Cam will take a look, and some missing persons research for Aiden here." She shrugged. "Tomorrow is prep, then bones the next day. Same old, same old."

"Do you guys always just talk about cases over lunch?" Aiden asked, watching as he got the same glance from both girls, their gaze piercing for a moment.

"Well, not in detail, that would be gross." Grace replied.

"And a little disrespectful, don't you think?" Antonia nodded, snagging another fry off Aiden's plate, he glared at her and she winked at him. "By the way, I'm glad we're doing this whole weekly lunch thing." Antonia said, smiling at her sister and Jack. "It feels good to just get together and talk about the week. We don't usually do that."

"It'll keep them out of trouble, at least." Grace said, pointing between Jack and Aiden.

"Seriously." Antonia replied.

"Hey, hey… we're both here, you know?" Jack said, as Grace patted his leg patronizingly, he stuck his tongue out at her, and she made a face at him. "So what are you two doing for Valentine's day?" Jack asked, looking between the two people across from him. "Any plans?"

"No." Antonia said.

"Maybe." Aiden shrugged, flicking his eyes to Antonia, who challenged him with her eyes. "Nothing is set in stone." He said.

"You might be, if you make plans without talking to her about it." Grace laughed, catching her sister's glare.

"Funny." Antonia said, shaking her head. "I don't like Valentine's day." She shrugged.

"I feel like this is a trap." Aiden said, glancing to Jack.

"It's a trap, dude." Jack replied, glancing to Grace, who glared at him playfully. "It's a trap." He whispered.

"It's not a trap." Antonia replied, glancing between the other three people at the table. "I just don't think that there should be a specific day set aside for overtly romantic gestures. It's commercialized, and trivial."

"You sound like Mom." Grace said, rolling her eyes. "Can't you just go with the flow, Ant? Just do what everyone else does for a change."

"I'm not opposed to overtly romantic gestures." Antonia said, giving her sister a pointed look as she grabbed another one of Aiden's fries. She pointed at her sister with it, and nodded her head. "I'm just saying that if a significant other uses only that specific day for overtly romantic gestures, then you're wasting your time." She shoved the fry into her mouth and watched her sister nod. "Do you two understand?" She asked, glancing between Aiden and Jack, smiling when they both nodded their heads. "So to answer your question, Jack. No, we don't have plans on Valentine's day. However, I'm not opposed to plans, if it's not an overblown gesture of undying love and devotion."

"So, no boxes of chocolates, or giant stuffed bears?" Aiden asked, putting his arm around her shoulder as he watched her head shake, though she leaned into him. "No candy hearts, or dozens of red roses?" He asked, and she shook her head, laughing as he pulled her even closer. "No candlelit dinner, or bottles of pink champagne?"

"Gross." She laughed, as he buried his face in her neck to make her laugh. "Aiden! Stop!" She laughed, feeling her cheeks flush.

"I need a plan B. Oh, maybe a skywriter, or a puppy! " Aiden said, loosening his grip on her a little as she laughed. He watched as Grace shook her head with a sly smile on her lips. "What is that look for?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Nothing." She shook her head, glancing to Jack. They exchanged a knowing look and continued eating their lunches.

He narrowed his eyes and let Antonia go, dropping a kiss on her cheek as they continued to eat as well. The conversation was happy and companionable. Antonia glanced to her watch as she sighed, eating the last fry on her plate. "I have to get back to the lab." She said with a resigned sigh and stood up.

"I'll walk you back." Aiden said, placing money for their lunches on the table. He stood up and grabbed her coat from the back of her chair, she gave him a faux glare and accepted the gesture, allowing him to pull it onto her shoulders. He then turned and put his coat on. "It was good to see you guys." He said with a smile, taking Antonia's hand.

"Same time next week?" Grace asked, as they nodded and smiled, turning to leave, they waved again and made their way to the exit. Grace watched her sister and the agent walk together hand in hand, nudging one another playfully down the street. "She seems happy." She said softly, glancing to Jack who was watching the same thing.

"That's because she is happy." Jack said, nudging her softly. "It looks good on her." He said, as Grace smiled, nodding in agreement.


	4. The Devil

**Comments welcome and/or encouraged**

 **February 12, 8PM-**

The work day had drawn to a close several hours earlier, though Antonia sit silently reading through a pile of case files, all very similar to the case they were currently working on. The lab was perfectly silent, just as she liked it to be, and her eyes focused diligently on the words in front of her. Cam had done the autopsy on the victim, and the body was prepared and waiting in Hodgins' office as his beetles did the dirty work to clean the bones.

She sighed and flipped the page, reading through the rough scrawl of another FBI agent with limited grammatical ability, and shoddy shorthand. Her eyes were blurring a bit as she let out a yawn, closing them for a moment. She heard the dull beep of the lab door opening, and her eyes flicked up to the door. She was in the conference room, and couldn't see the approaching person, but could hear a set of solid steps making their way through the silent lab. She looked up and waited, expecting one of three people to walk into the doorway. Her eyes lit up when she saw the tall, lanky body of Aiden Fitzgerald leaning against the doorframe. She let a smile appear, and tilted her head.

"Hey, sexy scientist." He said, watching as she leaned her chin on her hand and shook her head at him with a roll of her eyes.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, watching as he walked into the room, pulled out a chair, and sat across from her with a smile.

"That's the second time you've asked me that today. I'm starting to think you don't like having me around." He said innocently, watching as she shook her head again.

"Quite the contrary." She said, smiling as she looked across the table, but took a deep breath when her eyes flicked to the piles of folders in front of her, letting it out with a frustrated sigh. "I'm just doing some light reading."

"Light reading?" He asked, sliding one of the folders toward him, he scanned through the information and made a face. "Some of these people need a lesson in simple grammar and punctuation."

"I know, right?" She said, leaning on the table, she pointed at something on the paper. "That's not even a word."

"You should put the trash reading aside for the night, and come home with me." He said, closing the folder and tipping his head to the side as he watched her stretch her back like a cat as she continued to lean over the table.

"Come home with you?" She said, lifting her eyebrow at him, she shook her head. "Why? So we can get into another argument? I'm fine right here."

"Have you eaten?" He asked, watching as she almost answered, but he jumped before she could. "Because I haven't eaten yet, and I was wondering if you'd like to come to my place and have dinner."

"Oh, so now it's dinner?" She asked playfully.

"We could start with dinner." He shrugged, leaning back in the chair, he watched her eye him suspiciously. "Maybe then we could move on to some dessert." He shrugged, looking at his fingertips for a moment, he looked up at her and watched her eyes narrow at him. "You're so beautiful." He smiled, watching her sigh lightly, a bit of a smile on her lips as she shook her head just slightly.

"I believe that you are the devil, Special Agent Aiden Fitzgerald." She said, leaning forward to grab the file he had flipped through, she put it on the rest of the folders and arranged them carefully into a pile. She watched as he stood up and walked around the table, holding his hands out for her to place the pile of folders into them. She left them on the table and approached him instead, feeling his arms wrap around her as she did the same. She looked into his eyes and just watched him for a moment as he watched her.

"I still think that you're the most beautiful thing that I've ever seen." He said, bringing his hand up to brush her cheek.

"That's exactly what the devil would say." She replied playfully, leaning forward to kiss him tenderly. She could hear a low growl in his throat that made her toes curl as she deepened the kiss. He held her tenderly as his eyes opened, and the kiss ended reluctantly. She then hid her eyes from his, burying her face in his neck for a moment. She mumbled something softly into his chest, her hot breath pushing through his cotton shirt.

"What was that?" he whispered, gently rocking her as they stood there, he watched as her eyes lifted to his. She swallowed hard and let her bottom lip slide between her teeth for a moment, biting down hard, she winced. "Antonia?" He whispered, her name sliding off his tongue effortlessly. She closed her eyes tightly for a moment at hearing it. He never called her by her given name, and by doing so now, she knew that he was captured in rapt attention. "Antonia." He whispered again, not questioning her name, but saying it as if it were a rope being thrown to rescue him from falling into a lonely abyss.

Her eyes opened quickly, and she lost her voice for a moment as she watched his tender expression implore her innocently. "I think I'm falling in love with you." She finally said, feeling an intense anxiety in her heart push from her chest, up her neck and into her face, burning and blushing her skin. She watched his eyes for a moment, unknowingly holding her breath.

"You think too much." He whispered, the corner of his lip curling up, he lifted his hand to her cheek, running it down her soft skin as he watched her eyes glisten with uncertainty. "I know that I'm falling in love with you." He said, watching her eyes narrow playfully.

"I do love you." She whispered quickly, letting her held breath release, she leaned up and pressed her lips to his quickly and then looked into his eyes before wrapping her arms around him as he held her tightly against him. They hugged for a number of moments, a tear rolling across her cheek as she found that her emotions were starting to build the longer he held her. His arms were tight and secure, and she felt warm against his body as he held her. He ran his fingers through her hair, dropping kiss after kiss on the top of her head. "Please take me home." She whispered.

"You want to go home?" he asked, feeling her nod against him. "Home with me?" he felt her nod again, looking up into his eyes, he gently lifted his hand to wipe the tear from her face. "Oh, Tex. No more crying." He kissed her forehead gently and watched as a smile appeared on her lips, her hand swiping away the tear. "I love you too." He said, finally saying the words that she had so bravely uttered.

Suddenly their attention was jarred by the sound of metal hitting the floor out in the lab. They both jumped at the sound, as Antonia walked quickly around Aiden toward the door before stopping. She glanced to him and he gave her a confused look. "Gun goes first." She whispered, indicating the door as she stood back.

"Oh, now it goes first." He said, listening to her quiet laugh as she nodded her head. "I see how it is." He walked slowly toward the door, his hand hovering near his gun, but knowing that the lab was a secure place, and it was possible that the security guard had simply just knocked something over.

He walked into the lab slowly, letting his eyes scan the darkened platform, and around the corner, he saw movement in the distance, the eyes of someone standing staring across the room, his shoulders relaxed. "What are you doing here?" He asked across the room, recognizing the look of surprise from the intern who had been caught. "Regular work hours are over, the lab is closed down. What are you doing hanging around?"

Antonia heard him call out, and followed behind him, looking over his shoulder at Alex Gordon staring across the room at them.

"What are you doing here?" Alex asked defensively, his voice stammering a bit as he set something down on his work station.

"I asked you first." Aiden said, walking quickly toward the intern, he could tell that the younger man was nervous, and Aiden wanted an answer. He could sense Antonia behind him, and partially blocked her as he assessed the situation.

"Mr. Gordon, you know that interns aren't allowed in the lab after hours. We're going to have to ask you to leave. Why were you here?" Antonia asked, her voice suddenly authoritative and in control.

"I uh… I was just. I had some things I was working on." He shrugged nervously. "My apartment building is loud, so I was doing some studying here."

"That's what libraries are for." Antonia said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What were you two doing here?" Alex asked, narrowing his eyes at Aiden as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You're probably just harassing Doctor Booth, like you do all day long. It's gross, man. Get a clue."

Aiden lifted an eyebrow and looked to Antonia, who shrugged. "Mr. Gordon, you're going to have to leave." She said, her voice serious and stern. "I'll be leaving the building, and there shouldn't be anyone else here in the lab. Go get your things, and please leave."

"I'm sorry, Doctor Booth." He said, nodding his head, he turned toward his work station and began gathering his belongings. He put his bag on his back and started walking toward her. "Did you want me to walk you to your car?" He asked, sending another glare in Aiden's direction.

"No, it's fine." She said, taking a step back, she felt Aiden's hand on her shoulder. "I have some things that I have to gather, and I will be leaving shortly. Thank you." She said, watching as he nodded and walked toward the door. He shuffled rather slowly, but eventually walked through the secured door at the end of the lab toward the elevators. She watched the doors for a moment, silence taking over the lab.

"How the hell did he get in here?" Aiden asked, stepping up beside Antonia, she looked over at him.

"Interns don't have keycards." Antonia said, her voice a bit shaky as she looked toward the now closed door. "He must have stuck around after everyone else had left."

"So, you're saying that creep was poking around the lab while you were here, thinking that you were by yourself?" He asked, waiting for her eyes to meet his, but she kept staring at the door. "Tex? Look at me, please."

"Aiden, it's nothing."

"It's not nothing, Antonia." He said, standing in front of her, he watched her eyes lift to his. "He's been following you around like a little puppy dog all day. He stares at you constantly, wants to be your shadow for the day. He clearly has something against me. He makes me very uncomfortable. I need to know that you're safe."

She watched the sincerity in his eyes and nodded her head in agreement. "I'll talk to Mom about it tomorrow." She said softly, watching as he gave her an appreciative smile. "Can we go home now?" She asked, watching his eyes sparkle as he smiled at her.

"Of course we can go home." He said, leaning down to capture her lips. He then stood and watched her for a moment and took her hand securely in his, and brought that to his lips. "I love you, Antonia." He whispered, watching as she swallowed the sudden wave of emotion that was threatening to overtake her.

"I still believe that you are the devil, Aiden Fitzgerald." She smiled slyly, scrunching her nose. "I love you too." She leaned up and kissed his nose, then turned sharply and made her way back to the conference room to gather her things, with Aiden close behind.


	5. Early Morning Breakfast

**February 13th 3:00AM**

The nighttime sounds were unfamiliar to Antonia. Her apartment was located on a fairly busy road that always had a passing car, or a police siren nearby. She lay with her eyes closed, as the cloud of slumber gently pulled away, and her consciousness moved to the forefront. A cool breeze caressed her neck, sliding across her skin delicately. Her head was buried in what she believed was a pillow at first, but with a slight movement, she could hear a slow, steady heartbeat. She swallowed hard, remembering arriving at the apartment a few hours earlier, a frenzy of limbs, kisses, and mumbled words of love and devotion. She could feel her face burning as she thought of the unrestrained passion that they both put into their movement into the apartment, straight across the apartment floor to his bedroom, clothing strewn every which way as they fell onto his bed in a gale of laughter and kisses.

She listened to the breathing of the man beneath her, steady and deep, his arm wrapped protectively around her, his leg tucked between her legs. With careful movements, she pulled herself from his embrace, feeling the stinging cold of the room without his arms. She watched him closely, hoping to not wake him, for he seemed so peaceful and serene in that moment. She carefully moved to the edge of the bed, tugging at his discarded shirt on the floor, she glanced to his sleeping form, illuminated slightly by the streetlights filtering in through the curtains. She pulled her arms in through the sleeves of the shirt, fastening the buttons that hadn't been pulled off in their frantic attempt to disrobe. Her lip curled up at the memory. She glanced once more at him, wanting to drop a kiss on his cheek, but concerned it would wake him, so she walked silently from the room, grabbing a few more articles of clothing on her way.

He had been awoken the moment that she had moved in his arms, though he let her have her moment of realization, her moment of solitude, her moment of escape if she needed it. He felt her eyes on him as she pulled from his embrace, her hand gently touching his arm as she carefully moved it, and after a moment, he was alone. He felt cold without her body near, and listened for her movement in the apartment, but heard nothing. His eyes moved to the clock, noting that it was just after three in the morning. He slowly pulled his legs from the bed, grabbing a pair of sweatpants in the basket beside the bed, he pulled them on and slowly walked to the doorway of the bedroom. He opened the door slowly, just in case she was just in the bathroom and would be headed back, but the apartment was still dark, the bathroom was quiet. He could feel his heartbeat pounding in his ears as he thought of the previous night, the passion and expressions of love were so raw and real, that there would be no going back. His only concern now, was her thoughts and feelings on that.

He slowly walked down the hallway toward the kitchen, his eyes focusing across the living room at the bay window. Her still form sat staring out of the window onto the street, her dark hair cascading down her shoulders as she watched the silent early morning hours pass by.

Her eyes flicked to him, not startled by his appearance, but concerned. "Did I wake you up?" She whispered.

"I was cold without you." He said, unsure if she wanted him to approach. "Are you alright?"

She looked up and a ghost of a smile graced her lips as she lifted her hand to him when she noticed that he was keeping his distance for her own comfort. He stood there shirtless and vulnerable, his eyes holding so much love and concern. "I'm hungry." She said, watching as a smile lit up his face, he took a step forward and reached for her hand. He gently tugged her into standing, and she stepped forward into him, wrapping her arms around him securely, pressing her ear against his chest.

"That's right, we never did get to eating dinner, did we?" He whispered, kissing the top of her head. "Life's too short, eat dessert first." He said, listening to her gentle giggle against his skin. "I love you." He whispered into her hair, feeling her arms tighten around him for a moment before leaning back to look into his eyes.

"I love you." She said, accepting the kiss that he dropped on her lips as she held tightly to him as he started to walk with her connected to him. "What are you doing?" she laughed.

"I'm going to make us something to eat, but I'm not ready to let you go." He said, moving into the kitchen as he held onto her, listening to her laugh, he turned on the lights above the sink, and then moved to the refrigerator.

"But if you let me go, I can help!" She laughed.

"Nope, I can do this. I'm a highly trained FBI agent. I can make pancakes with a woman attached to me." He said in a serious voice.

"Mm, pancakes do sound good." She said, looking up at him as he winked. "But I'm going to go over there and watch you make them." She said, indicating the counter as he sighed dramatically.

"You're abandoning me?" He asked, watching her laugh and shake her head.

"Never." She said, loosening her grip. "I just don't want to get pancake batter in my hair." She said, as he dropped another kiss on her lips and released his hold.

"Okay, I guess." He sighed, grabbing her hand one more time as she walked away, he pulled her toward him again and kissed her again. "Sorry, you're kissable."

"I'm not going to argue with that." She said, finally moving to the other end of the counter, where she leaned on the counter and watched him move around the kitchen. She watched as he prepared the batter, moving quickly around the kitchen as he measured, poured, and stirred, all the while preparing the pan on the stove. "You should have become a chef." She said, watching as he turned his head and smiled.

"I thought about it, but chefs don't get the girls." He said as he looked back toward the stove, he felt a hand towel hit him in the side. "Hey, hey… don't throw things at the cook." He said, turning to see her smiling at him, shrugging like she didn't know what he was talking about. He picked up the towel and tossed it back at her. "Nah, my dad was always at work, and he never learned how to cook. So my mother made sure that I could find my way around a kitchen, because she wanted to make sure that I could fend for myself and not live on frozen dinners and ramen noodle for my entire life." He said, smiling over at her, he turned back to the stove. "Dad is a cardiothoracic surgeon, but he has the eating habits of an 18 year old college student." He said, putting pancakes onto a plate. "I do enjoy cooking, but I don't want to be chained to a kitchen." He smiled. He put more batter in the pan and glanced back to Antonia as she watched him. He smiled at her as she stared at the pancakes on the plate. "Do you want butter and syrup?"

"Yes." She said, walking around the counter to the cupboard, she started a pot of coffee.

"Coffee, this early?"

"I am not going back to bed." She said, glancing over at him. "At least not to sleep." She said, looking back to her task, she listened to him laugh lightly. "I don't usually sleep through the night anyway." She said, not looking over at him.

"Any specific reason?" he asked, moving up behind her, he looked over her shoulder, kissing her cheek.

"Nightmares." She said, shrugging. "I don't have them as much anymore, but I do have nightmares." She said, looking up at him. He could see the fear in her eyes as she told him this truth, and he nodded. "It's a very long story." She said, smiling sadly at him.

"Well, I have time whenever you want to tell it." He said, dropping a kiss on her cheek, he turned back to the stove.

She turned her head, watching as he continued to make their breakfast, their conversation seeming to be something that he wanted to give her space on, and for that she was extremely grateful. She watched him flip a couple more pancakes onto the plate, and turn off the stove. He turned around and smiled at her as he nodded toward the table. "Dinner is served… or breakfast… or…"

"Just hush and let's eat." She said, grabbing two plates from the cupboard, and the silverware, he got the syrup and the butter, and they sat down to enjoy their early morning breakfast together.


	6. Family Advice

**February 13th, 8:30AM-**

Antonia walked briskly into the lab, her eyes scanned the lab quickly as she often did when she entered a new room, ensuring that she was completely aware of her surroundings. She noted that her mother's office door was open, light on. The lab was quiet as it typically was in the early hours. She took a sharp turn toward another office, rapping lightly on the door frame, the occupant looked up at her, and it took only a split second for the smile to appear on her face. "Hey Big A." Antonia smiled.

"Oh, holy crap, sweetie!" Angela exclaimed, her voice a low squeak as she stood up, nearly pulled Antonia into the room, and closed the door solidly behind her. She pushed her back against the door and shook her head, the smile never leaving her face.

"I have no idea how you do that." Antonia said, shaking her head.

"Oh, a woman knows, baby girl." Angela said, stepping forward to hug her tightly. Antonia dropped her bag to her side and sighed. "Did you tell him?" Angela asked, looking the young woman in her eyes, she put her hands on her cheeks as she watched Antonia nod. "Did he say it back?" She asked, and Antonia nodded, her cheeks still smooshed in Angela's hands.

"You're insane." Antonia said, laughing as Angela released her and gave her another hug. "I don't think Mom and Dad will exactly be celebrating this moment."

"Well, someone has to, and I'm your closest friend, and this is a big deal. My little girl is growing up." She said excitedly.

"I swear, you're certifiable." Antonia laughed, her cheeks blushing. "I need more friends."

"Where is he? Is he coming into the lab today? Did he drop you off? Did you do the walk of shame? I can't remember what you were wearing yesterday." Angela rattled off.

"He brought me to my apartment, waited for me, and brought me back here and then went to work." Antonia assured her. "But please, please don't make this big of a deal to him. I don't want him to freak out."

"That's right, he's a bit sensitive. You and your mom, picking out those sensitive FBI guys." Angela sighed.

"Oh for God's sake, please don't compare him to Dad." She said, putting her hand on her forehead as she shook her head. "Please, please."

"Yeah, right…sorry about that." She shrugged. "You look a little stressed out, sweetie, are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah." Antonia replied, happy that Angela decided to change the subject. "I have a little work-related issue, that I need to have resolved." She said, getting that famous squinting glare from Angela, as she smiled. "It's just a little something that I am hoping can be taken care of quietly without too much fan-fare."

"You don't want your father to know." Angela nodded.

"Right." She sighed. "I need to look at some security footage of the lab. I may, or may not have an unwanted pursuer on my hands."

"You mean that greasy haired intern that walks around here and constantly asks where you are?" Angela asked. "Sweetie, your mom has been watching him for days now." She said, as she moved to her controller and started scanning through items as she settled against her desk. The screen popped up, and live footage of the lab displayed. Angela scrunched her face. "That's weird."

"What?" Antonia asked, noting a familiar person walking through the lab, though it wasn't who they had expected. "What's Goof doing here?" She asked, as she and Angela exchanged a look as they watched the young man walk toward Temperance's office, he said something to her, then stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "Another mystery rocks the halls of the Jeffersonian." Antonia said in a playful voice, making Angela laugh. "Okay, back to my little stalker friend." She said.

"Right." Angela said, staring at Temperance's closed office door for a second, she glanced to Antonia, who shrugged. "Where do you want to start?"

"Last night." Antonia said, sighing as she glanced to Angela. "Around 8pm… also, maybe some of the parking garage after 8:30." She said, looking to Angela. "What? I'm not paranoid, I'm just thorough. I just need proof before I bring this to Mom."

"Let's see what we have." Angela said with a smirk, smiling at Antonia as she started looking through the security footage.

* * *

Temperance looked up at the movement in her office door, expecting just about anyone else to be standing there, but it was none other than Jack Hodgins V. "Mr. Hodgins." She said, watching as he smiled politely, she furrowed her brow. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" She asked.

"Hey, Aunt Bones." He said, smiling. "Do you have a second to talk this morning?"

"Of course, Jack. Please come in." She said, indicating that he could close the door if he liked, so he turned and closed the door, stepping into the office, she could see that he seemed nervous. "Are you okay? Is Grace alright?"

"Oh, Grace is fine, she's great." He smiled. "I dropped her off at the precinct a few minutes ago. I was on my way to the hospital, and I just… I just wanted to um… I really don't know how to do this." He shook his head, looking at Temperance with a wince.

"Start at the beginning, perhaps?" She asked, moving away from her computer, she placed her hands on her desk and gave her undivided attention to the young man across from her. She watched as he looked at his hands, twisting them together nervously, she tried to hide the small smile on her lips as she assessed the reasoning for his anxiety. "Jack." She said, watching his eyes meet up with hers, he looked pained.

"Grace and I have been friends forever, right?"

"If you're counting forever to be from the moment she said your name… or perhaps the day that you and she decided to 'repaint' my dining room wall with permanent marker, or maybe the time that you and Grace decided to capture a jar full of bees, only to end up in the emergency room together with multiple stings, and an empty jar, or perhaps the day that you and Grace broke my favorite vase in the living room because you were playing kickball on a rainy day, and decided that I wouldn't notice that you had not only glued it together, but to the table as well." She said, with a smile. "Need I go on?"

"Um. Sorry about the vase." He said, wincing.

"It's fine." She said, watching as his face turned red. "Jack, we can talk. I know you're not known for your shyness, so this must be an extremely important matter."

"It is." He said, looking up to look into her eyes. He could see where Grace had gotten that steely blue stare, that strong, beautiful jawline, and of course that stern, questioning eyebrow raise that always seemed to make him just a bit more nervous. "Do you think…" He stopped, cringing a bit. "Should I… I want to…"

"Jack, I really hope that this isn't how the proposal to Grace is going to go." She said, shaking her head. "You really should work on it." She watched as his jaw dropped a bit, his teeth gritted as he swallowed hard.

"How did you…?"

"It's quite obvious, sweetheart." She said, reaching for his hand, he touched her hand, and smiled at him as she took it tenderly. "Are you here to ask for my blessing?"

"Well, yes. Kind of. Yeah, and um… I wanted to know if I should ask for Uncle Seeley's, you know… should I ask?" He asked, feeling relieved that the reason for his visit was out in the open, but at the same time, he could almost feel his teeth sweating.

"Unless you're planning on marrying Booth, there's nothing that he needs to approve of." She winked at him as she watched the sparkle return to his blue eyes. "He loves you very much, and he knows how happy you make Grace. I do appreciate the visit, and the attempt." She said, watching as he took a deep breath, sitting back. "Do you feel better now?"

"Uh, yes." He nodded, seemingly able to breathe now, he smiled. "I feel much better."

"So when is the big question being popped, as they say? If you don't mind me asking."

"Well, tomorrow we're going out for Valentine's day, I was thinking maybe at dinner, or after dinner, or before dinner…"

"Sweetheart, at this rate, you're going to end up at her office in twenty minutes on your knee." She laughed, as JV laughed nervously. "You need to have a plan. It doesn't have to be extravagant, and it need not be perfect. Just be yourself, and the moment will find its way to you." She smiled. "Do you understand?"

"Yes." He nodded, taking a relief filled breath. "Thank you, Aunt Bones." He smiled.

"Anytime, sweetheart. And your secret is safe with me. I look forward to officially welcoming you to our family." She said, looking up as a quick knock came to the door.

JV looked as well, and Temperance called out. "Yes?"

The door opened, and an extremely frantic looking Angela opened the door a crack. "Bren, you have to come out here right now. We have a situation."

"What is it?" Temperance said, standing up quickly.

"It's a code Ant." Angela said. "She's about to kill one of your interns."

Temperance moved quickly around the desk and out into the lab, as the sound of her daughter's angry voice echoed off the stainless steel like a bell ringing.

Angela watched JV stand up, and smiled at her son suspiciously, watching as he grinned innocently. "Hey, Mom."

"Son." She said, giving him a playfully suspicious glare, they joined Temperance out in the lab.


	7. Dig Deeper

Temperance followed the sound of the angry voice, only to find her daughter's finger pointing in the face of Alex Gordon as she very eloquently and loudly reamed him out. He looked frightened, his eyes wide as he stood against the wall, listening to Antonia's angry lecture. Temperance had noted nearly two weeks earlier the interest that this young intern had taken in Antonia, and had been concerned that his behavior would just become worse. She had lectured the interns on proper etiquette, had also moved through the ethical and professional ramifications of improper behavior, but from the tone of Antonia's voice, it was very clear that something extremely unsavory, or unethical had occurred. While her daughter had her bouts with passive aggressiveness in the lab, it had never boiled over to this level of outward anger, and it was quickly escalating as she approached.

"I have worked extremely hard in this profession to get where I am today, Mister Gordon, and if you think that your behavior is going to do you any favors with…"

"Doctor Booth." Temperance said, noting that the tone of her voice immediately snapped Antonia back into professional mode, her mouth snapped shut, and she stood straight as a pin, turning to face her mother.

"Doctor Brennan, I would like to file a grievance." She said, breathing heavily through her nose as her teeth gritted tightly.

"We can continue this conversation in my office." She said, watching as Antonia closed her eyes as she attempted to calm herself. "Mr. Gordon, will you please come with me." She said, watching as Antonia took a step back. Alex glanced to her, a slight smile on his face as he walked by, a glance that Temperance did not fail to notice. Antonia walked behind them, her eyes straight ahead as she followed them toward Temperance's office. They passed Angela, who winced, but gave Antonia a supportive nod, and her eyes narrowed at JV as she passed him, her glare scrutinizing with a hint of curiosity as she stepped past him.

Once they were within the confines of the office, Temperance moved to her chair and waited for Alex and Antonia to sit down as well. Antonia sat straight, her legs crossed with her hands in her lap, a tacit form of control as she stared directly at her mother. She would not give the intern the upper hand in any way, shape, or form. She was the perfect image of her mother, her eyes serious and stern, her jaw set, and her head tilted just slightly as she waited for her turn to speak.

"I don't appreciate having to take time out of my day to lecture my employees about the proper way to act in my lab." Temperance said, watching Alex flinch a little, but Antonia spoke not a word. "Mister Gordon, what do you have to say for yourself? Can you explain to me what has angered Doctor Booth, please?"

"I took a couple of files." He said, shrugging. "I was going to return them...I… I did return them."

"You took files from the lab?" Temperance asked, glancing to Antonia, who took a deep breath and looked into her mother's eyes. "You are not to take anything from the lab, Mr. Gordon."

"Well, I was working on some stuff last night, and Doctor Booth and that moron Agent Fitzgerald told me…"

"Excuse me?" Temperance said, watching as Alex looked at her with a confused expression. "Mr. Gordon, we contract with the FBI, and we treat them with the respect they deserve. I don't know what your issue is with Agent Fitzgerald, but you leave that animosity on the outside of this facility. Do you understand me?" She scolded. She looked to Antonia, who was still staring directly at her mother. "Doctor Booth?"

"Doctor Brennan, I was in the lab last night, at around 8pm, I noticed that Mister Gordon was also still in the lab. I asked him to leave. When he left, he gathered several files that were sensitive to this case, and I realized this morning that they were missing. They were returned, but only after asking several times for them."

"Agent Fitzgerald was here last night as well?" Temperance asked.

"He came to pick me up. He can corroborate if you wish." Antonia said, watching her mother look back to Alex, and then back to her.

"Did Mister Gordon leave when asked?"

"Yes, he did." She nodded, though Temperance could see that there was more to what Antonia knew, but wasn't about to disclose it at that time. There was a tinge of fear in her eyes as she watched her mother pointedly.

Temperance turned to the young intern and stood up. She crossed her arms over her chest and watched the young intern look back at her. "Mister Gordon, this lab is a secure location, and our place in the chain of custody for materials, evidence, and case work is extremely important. We can't have our employees breaching this security in any way. The files were returned, however?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Antonia nodded.

"Is there anything else in your possession that shouldn't have been removed from the lab?"

"No." he shook his head, watching Temperance closely.

"Mr. Gordon, it has come to my attention from several sources in the lab that your work here at the Jeffersonian has been a bit sloppy, distracted, and lacking. Unfortunately, this particular incident is considered to be an egregious incident that cannot simply be ignored. I am afraid I am going to have to suspend your internship here, Mr. Gordon, pending review from Doctor Saroyan, and the Jeffersonian's board of trustees. I've stated in the past, there is no room for dishonesty here. Your actions could have compromised the case, and we cannot take that risk." She held her hand out, and watched Alex's eyes widen. "Please hand over your security card, and your ID badge, and security will escort you to your car." She said solemnly.

"But, But, Doctor Brennan." He stammered.

"I'm sorry Mr. Gordon, this is an extremely important matter, and we take this type of violation very seriously. You will be informed of the final decision of the board in a timely manner after a thorough review has been conducted, and you will have an opportunity to appeal as well. But at this time, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

She held her hand out, and Alex removed his ID badge and handed it to Temperance, his eyes narrowing at Antonia as he handed over his security card as well. Temperance then stepped to her desk and called for security to come to her office.

The security guard knocked after several moments and upon entering Temperance instructed him to search Alex's bag for anything that belonged to the Jeffersonian before escorting him from the building. Alex stood up and grunted angrily, leaving the office with the security guard as Antonia stood as well, preparing to go back to work.

"Doctor Booth." Temperance said, her voice serious and stern as Antonia closed her eyes for a moment before taking a deep breath. "If you don't mind, I'd like to have a few words with you."

"Yes, Doctor Brennan." She nodded, closing the door, she turned back toward the chair and sat down, her expression completely unreadable as she watched her mother sit as well.

* * *

Aiden stepped into the lab, his eyes scanning around for Hodgins, the person who had called him that morning with a few questions about the crime scene, and evidence that had been collected. He noted that Temperance's office door was closed, and several of the interns seemed to be in the middle of a whispered conversation on the platform, their eyes focusing on the FBI agent who had entered the facility. It seemed odd to have them all clustered together, and as he approached the platform, they dispersed fairly quickly. "Hey, have any of you guys seen Doctor Hodgins around?" He asked, watching as one of the interns looked to the back of the lab.

"His office is back there." She said, pointing into the corner where Hodgins' room was located. "I'm not sure if he's in there right now, but he's around somewhere. I can let him know you're waiting for him."

"Thank you." Aiden said with a nod as he stepped toward the back of the lab, his eyes flickering to Temperance's office again, he walked past Angela's office, noting that she wasn't at her desk, he continued to the office in the corner. He knocked, hearing nothing as he turned the doorknob and stepped inside. "Doctor Hodgins?" he said, stepping in slowly, he figured he'd just wait in the office until he arrived, his eyes scanning the contents of the room curiously.

He had only been working with the Jeffersonian since the previous December, and had only been in Hodgins' office once as part of the cursory tour of the lab, so to see the goings on of this scientist's self ascribed 'lair', was very interesting. He stepped up to the box that contained the victim. The autopsy had been completed the day before, but from the condition of the body, and the movement of the beetles across the flesh, it was clear that by the next day, they would have bones to work with. He listened to the popping and crackling of the beetles as they worked, and took a step back when the view got to be a little too much. He turned around and noticed on the far wall of the room, there was an entire section that was plastered with children's drawings.

Aiden smiled as he approached it, thinking for a moment that it was a wall of drawings from JV, or Grace, the younger two of the Booth/Hodgins brood, scribbling pictures for their parents as they worked to save the world from bad guys.

"I see that you found the Metropolitan Museum of Ant." Hodgins voice interrupted the Agent, his eyes flicking back to the scientist as he grinned and walked toward him.

"What was that?" Aiden asked, chuckling a little as he admired the pictures, some of them yellowed with age, but fastened to the wall securely.

"The Metropolitan Museum of Ant." Hodgins chuckled. "These are all Antonia's drawings. She spent a lot of time in the lab as a little girl." He said proudly, smiling as Aiden scanned the pictures. "This one here…" Hodgins said, pointing at one that had a scrawled picture of a beetle, with a big red 'X' through it. "This one was up in the main lab for a while. Ant and I used to race beetles and Doctor B hated it." He laughed. "Probably because she knew what the beetles real job was, and was trying to keep Ant from knowing." He shrugged, nodding toward the box.

"You raced beetles?" Aiden laughed.

"Yeah, we had a lot of fun around here doing experiments, and blowing things up. That's why she wanted to work here. It's her safe place." Hodgins laughed.

"Blowing things up is safe… that sounds about right."

"Well, it's a controlled environment." Hodgins nodded, running his finger across one of the pictures. "Her childhood was… not an easy one, and I think that having the stability of the lab kind of gave her that solitude that she needed. She still comes here when she's upset or has something on her mind. I think it calms her, it focuses her, it gives her a place to belong. When she needs an answer, she comes here to find it." He nodded.

"Hey, there's Deuce." Aiden said, pointing to a drawing of a gray elephant next to a stick figure. He noticed that Hodgins was watching him carefully.

"She told you about Deuce?" Hodgins asked, lifting an eyebrow, his tone was careful.

"Her little stuffed elephant?" He asked, watching as Hodgins took a deep breath, his smile was gone, his eyes flicked to the drawing. "I've met him." He shrugged. "Why? Is there something that I should know?"

Hodgins sighed, and looked up at another drawing, a sad smile lifted on his lips. "Before Antonia was born and a little after, there was a lot of internal turmoil between the FBI and the Jeffersonian. It was a really, really strange time." Hodgins said, glancing to Aiden, who seemed confused. "I know that Booth didn't really give you the full history of the FBI's involvement with us here at the Jeffersonian, but the information is out there if you look for it." He said, glancing to the door. "Just, be really careful about it, okay? It's a minefield, and we like you around here, we don't want you to get hurt, and we definitely don't want Ant to get hurt. I may be her Uncle Bugs…" He said, glancing to the young agent. "But she'll always be my little Ant." He said, smiling at a crayon drawing of two people, one small with brown pigtails, and the other taller, with curly hair and blue eyes, smiling as their little stick hands met.

They stood looking at the pictures for several minutes, as Aiden's eyes scanned each picture, smiling as he watched these little windows into a younger version of the woman he had fallen in love with. He glanced to Hodgins and sighed. "So what was it you wanted to show me?"

"Oh, right! Come over here, I found some particulates that are of interest in our case." He said excitedly, turning around, he and Aiden made their way across room to his microscopes, the wall of pictures and Hodgins words of warning tugging at Aiden's mind.


	8. Pa-rolling with the Punches

Hodgins stood beside Aiden, talking emphatically about what he had found with the particulates, as Aiden listened carefully. He was happy to indulge the scientist as he pointed out that the particulates indicated that the victim had been in the trunk of a car at some point. He glanced in the microscope one more time, when the door flew open across the room.

"You've got to be freaking kidding me!" Antonia's voice exclaimed as she came barreling into the room, completely oblivious to the two men who were standing in the corner by the microscope. They watched as she stomped over toward the remains, staring in at the body for a moment as she grumbled under her breath. She pulled at a clipboard on the table, jotting down a few things as she slammed the clipboard down and turned back toward the door, only then realizing that she wasn't alone. She turned slowly, and her eyes widened as they were met with two sets of curious eyes. A blush rose onto her cheeks. "Hey guys." She said, still a bit surprised.

"Ant." Hodgins said, trying to hide his laugh.

"Bad morning?" Aiden asked, watching her jaw set and her eyes narrow at both of them.

"Don't you two have work to do?" She snapped grumpily, and turned and stomped out of the room.

Aiden glanced to Hodgins and shrugged, turning to continue his conversation about particulates. Hodgins explained a few more things, and then glanced to the door again. "Apparently one of the interns was suspended this morning." He said softly.

Aiden turned his head and looked at Hodgins. "Really?"

"Yeah. Ange said that he was caught taking evidence files. He claimed it was an accident, but Ant went off the rails. She also said that he was also staking out Ant's car last night. Kind of hanging out in the garage, waiting for her to come out." Hodgins said, pulling another slide, he brought it to the microscope and looked up at Aiden. "I know she thinks she can protect herself from these kinds of things, but you really can't predict it." Hodgins said, glancing to the door again. "It scares the crap out of me."

"They suspended him?" Aiden asked, watching Hodgins nod his head. "What files did he take?"

"I have no idea. Ant will know, she's the one that got them back. She was going to check to make sure that everything was accounted for. Does it matter?" Hodgins asked.

"He could have made copies, or photocopies of the files. I just want to make sure that I know what's going on with the case." Aiden said, taking a step back. "Hey, thanks for keeping me in the loop on this stuff. It's way better than sitting at my desk waiting for an ID." He laughed.

"I'm just glad they found an agent who likes the squinty stuff." Hodgins laughed. He handed him a file folder. "This is a list of car models that would have this type of fiber, but we'll keep looking. I'll let you know if we find anything else out."

"Thanks, Hodgins." Aiden said, walking to the door, he stepped out into the lab.

He took maybe three steps before he caught her eye across the room, standing on the platform, her posture straightened, and he approached her slowly. "Doctor Booth, may I have a moment of your time?" He asked politely, as she lifted an eyebrow, a slight smile on her lips as she nodded and stepped off the platform, removing her latex gloves, she crossed her arms over her chest, and sighed.

"Yes, Agent Fitzgerald?"

"Hodgins said that there was a little excitement this morning." He said, keeping his voice low, as he watched her think for a moment, possibly formulate exactly what she was going to say. "Do you believe anything on the case was compromised?"

"It's hard to say." She said, watching as he nodded. "I looked through the documents, everything is in order, but that's not to say he didn't take a photo of the files, or copy them. It may all just be innocent, he was just trying to learn more."

"I don't trust him, at all." Aiden replied, his voice serious and stern. "There will be no benefit of the doubt given. Normal people don't sit out in parking garages waiting for unsuspecting women to arrive at their car." He said, watching as she straightened her posture. "Is there anything else that I should know?" he asked, watching as she shook her head. "You would tell me, right?"

"Yes." She nodded, though his protectiveness was starting to grate on her nerves. "Just as long as you understand that you are not my personal bodyguard."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure that I'm beyond bodyguard at this point, Tex." He said, keeping his eyes on hers. "I need to get back to the office. Hodgins gave me some leads that I need to go over." He said, holding up the folder. "Maybe I'll see you for lunch?" he asked, watching her nod, she seemed a bit distracted. "Have a good morning." He said softly.

"You too." She said, smiling slightly, she watched him turn and walk toward the doors of the lab, disappearing quickly into the hallway. She sighed as she watched him go, wishing that she could have talked just a minute longer. She turned back toward the platform just as her phone buzzed with an incoming text message. She pulled her phone from her pocket and took a quick look, her eyes lighting up as she smiled. She quickly texted back, that she loved him too, then turned and made her way back to the platform.

* * *

 **11:30AM- February 13th**

Temperance sat quietly in her seat at the diner, waiting patiently for her lunch companion to arrive. She had already ordered her salad, and was quietly looking over a few notes from the case. She looked up when she saw the young man step through the door, his head down a bit as he walked to the counter and talked to the waitress, indicating that he'd be sitting with Temperance. The waitress smiled and took his order, and he turned and walked toward the table. Temperance stood up to greet him, her smile soft and supportive, as his head lifted and he smiled at her. "Aunt Bones." Seeley said, accepting the hug that she had offered, a tight hug that expressed her innermost anxieties for him.

"How are you, Seeley?" She asked, pulling from the hug to look into his eyes, pulling from that connection what she could.

"I'm doing okay." He said, sitting down across from her. He still felt a bit awkward, but Temperance's warm greeting had melted most of that anxiety away. "Sorry, I was running a little late." He said, biting his lip. "I um… I was just finishing some things at work."

"How is the job working out for you?" She asked, folding her hands on the table as the waitress brought their lunch. She watched him look up gratefully at the waitress, and then look across at Temperance.

"It's tough, but I'm learning." He said, speaking of the construction job that Temperance had managed to get him into as part of his parole.

"And your classes, have you been able to keep up with your studies?" She asked, watching as he looked up at her and smiled.

"Yeah, they're okay." He shrugged. "You know you keep better tabs on me than my parole officer, Aunt Bones. He only has me call him once a month." Seeley joked.

"I'm going to make sure that this all works out for you. I feel like I let you down before." She said, watching as he smiled shyly.

"Nah, I was the one that let you down, Aunt Bones. I like it when you call." He said with a shrug. "I don't know, it feels good to be thought of, I guess." He smiled and took a bite of his burger and glanced out the window. After a few moments, he looked over at Temperance. "I called dad the other day." He said, looking at her curious expression. "I was just checking in on him. He says he's sober, I guess we'll just have to see how long that lasts."

"Alcoholism is a horrible disease, Seeley." Temperance said as the young man nodded. "We'll just keep supporting him, and calling him, and making sure he gets to his meetings. That's what family is for, to nag us all into being better people." She laughed, watching Seeley shake his head and laugh.

"How are Grace and Ant?" He asked, sighing a bit as he continued to eat.

"Oh, they're both doing well. Grace is almost ready to go back on active duty, and Antonia is, well, she's Antonia." Temperance shrugged, watching Seeley laugh knowingly. "We'll be having a family dinner soon, and you are more than welcome to attend."

"I'd like that." Seeley said with a smile. He noticed Temperance's eyes flicking to something behind him, and a smile lit up her face as he heard the footfalls of someone coming up behind him. He looked up and Booth gave him a light tap on his shoulder. "Hey Uncle Seeley."

"Hey, kid. You buying your Aunt Bones lunch?" He teased, sitting in the chair beside her as he watched Seeley shrug. The waitress put Booth's lunch in front of him, and he thanked her.

"Yeah, but it was going to be a surprise… so thanks for ruining that." He laughed as Temperance glanced to Booth, laughing.

"Good luck with that, she probably paid for it before you even got here so you wouldn't get a chance." Booth teased.

"Don't give away my secrets, Booth." Temperance said, deftly grabbing a fry from her husband's plate. "We're just having a nice peaceful lunch without drama, or cases, or court hearings."

"Sounds boring." Booth said, accepting the jab from his wife's elbow, he let out a laugh as Seeley grinned. "Keeping your nose clean?" Booth asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Let's keep it that way." Booth said, nudging Temperance back, as they enjoyed their peaceful lunch together.


	9. Can't Wait

**February 13** **th** **\- 6pm**

JV pulled into the parking lot for the precinct to pick Grace up from work. He pulled into the parking space and picked up his phone, quickly sending her a text to let her know that he had arrived. She texted back that she had a few things to finish up, and then she'd be out. He played with a few keys on his phone nervously, his conversation with Temperance bouncing around in his head. He sighed and turned the radio up a little, hoping that the music would drown out the sound of his thoughts.

He sighed and closed his eyes, tipping his head back on the head rest, he breathed slowly as he tried to think of something, anything. He didn't have a plan, he barely had an idea, and it was making him crazy. A firm knock on his window roused him from his thoughts, and when he opened his eyes, he nearly groaned out loud. He pushed the button on his window, lowering it just about two inches, and turned off the radio. "Hi." He said, his voice low and annoyed, and his eyes narrowed at the man standing outside of his car.

"Hey, twerp." Shane said, surprised that Shane even took a moment to say anything. "Waiting on the ole ball and chain, huh?" He asked, not even noticing when JV rolled his eyes.

"What do you want, Shane?"

"Nothing." He said, shaking his head. "Just came over to let you know that you're going to lose this battle, man. I'm going to get her back." He whispered. "She's going to realize what a major loser you are, and she'll come crying back to me."

"Okay." JV said, shrugging his shoulders. "Have a nice day." He said, rolling up his window, he closed his eyes again and turned up the radio, and tried to hide the smile on his lips when he heard Shane tap on the window again, and say something that Jack couldn't hear. He waited a few more seconds, and when he opened his eyes, the officer had left. With a sigh, he continued to think about his dilemma, his mind only briefly shifting to Shane's little taunt, before dismissing it again. He was again roused by his thoughts by a tap on the window, and upon opening his eyes, he was rewarded with the icy blue eyes of his love. She smiled at him, but he could see a dark concern that was clouding her typically clear eyes. She moved around to the passenger side, and opened the door, tossing her bag into the back seat, she sat down and immediately grabbed his hand, turning the radio off.

"What's wrong?" She asked, watching as his eyes brightened, but there was still a weight on his mind.

"Nothing, nothing's wrong." He smiled. "How are you?" he asked, leaning across to kiss her, his face was instead captured by her hands as she held his cheeks between her palms.

"What's going on in there, Goof?" She asked, kissing his lips as he shook his head while still in her grasp. She kissed him again, and looked into his eyes as his brow furrowed. She let go of his cheeks, and tilted her head. "Talk to me?" She asked with concern.

"Can we just drive around a little bit?" He asked, watching as she kept that skeptical eyebrow raised at him. "I love you, Gracie girl." He said softly.

"Yeah, I love you." She pouted, sighing.

"Very convincing." He said, grabbing her hand as he backed out of the parking space, she gave his hand a squeeze, and they pulled away from the precinct together.

JV wound through the streets of the city, slowly, and in traffic for the most part. He was keenly aware of the two blue orbs that were focused on the side of his face. He could see that she was making faces at him, but he kept his focus forward. "You should stop making faces, or it's going to stick like that."

"Oh right… That's how you got stuck with your goof face." She said, trying to goad him into a playful bickering match, but he just glanced to her with a confused expression, and continued driving. He heard her sigh heavily. "You can just take me home, Jack." She said. She sat back and watched the scenery pass as they drove.

"Home? Why home?"

"I don't know, you're in a mood, work was stressful but highly uninteresting and incredibly boring, and I'm just looking for a little fun." She sighed.

"Fun?" He asked, lifting his eyebrows. "You want some fun?" He asked.

"Yes." Grace nodded. "Do you know anywhere that I can find some fun?"

"Nope." He shrugged, watching her slump in her seat, he continued to drive around. He watched as she kept her eyes down, not focusing on anything and he felt slightly bad for her suddenly grumpy mood. She closed her eyes for a moment, tipping her head back and sighed. He glanced at her, and back to the road as he drove, winding through some streets that were a bit more suburban, some more familiar than others. He drove for nearly a half hour, watching as the sun set peacefully in the west, and just when he was sure that she had drifted off, he pulled into a familiar driveway. As soon as the car hit the bump on the end of the driveway, her eyes opened.

"Why are we here?" She asked, looking at the familiar house in front of her, she glanced to JV with a slight smile on her face.

"You said you wanted to go home." He said playfully.

"This is my parent's home, not my home." She said, looking out the windshield, she scrunched her nose up. "And they're not even home. Jack, are you okay? Did you hit your head or something?" She asked, watching him give her an incredulous look. "It had to be asked." She said, giggling. She watched as he climbed from the car. "Jack, where are you going?" She laughed, and the door closed. She watched him walk around to her side, and opened the door. "Jack, why are we here?"

"Grace, you ask way too many questions." He said, reaching into the car, he unbuckled her seatbelt, leaning in to kiss her lips gently. He stood back and tugged her hand.

"Jack?" She said, stepping out of the car, she let him tug her along, and closed the door, following his lead as he held her hand and walked with her toward the backyard. "Jack, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He said, turning around to grab both of her hands, he walked backwards as he pulled her along. He held her hand and walked with her toward the swing set. The December and January snow had mostly melted, leaving February with a light, crunchy snow cover, but manageable. He walked over to the swings, released her hand and sat down on it. He looked a little awkward, his long legs dragging on the ground a bit, and Grace stood with her arms crossed in front of him, shaking her head. "Swing with me." He said, indicating the swing beside him.

"Jack, you barely fit on that swing." She laughed, stepping forward to him, he took her hand and wrapped his legs around her as she laughed, and he pulled her into him with a smile. "Come on, Jack."

"Do you remember when we were seven… well, I was seven, you were six…" He said, tugging on her coat a bit so she would lean down and look into his eyes. "We were sitting here swinging on the swings… and you said to me something about how you thought boys were so gross, and how you didn't want to be friends with any boys anymore." He laughed.

"That phase didn't really last very long." She said, resting her forehead on his as he continued to swing a little, back and forth as he watched her eyes in the clear February night, the moonlight lighting their soft expressions.

"I got really worried, do you remember? I went inside, and told your mom that I needed to go home, because you didn't want to be my friend anymore." He said, watching her eyes as she watched him carefully. "I guess it was more traumatic for me, than for you." He laughed, listening to her giggle. "And your mom, she told me that…that you and I were so intrinsically linked, that sometimes she wondered how we hadn't biologically attached ourselves to one another." He laughed. "She ensured me that you'd come to your senses, that you'd realize how you wouldn't be able to breathe without me, at least not for long." He laughed, though it faded a bit as he thought about it, his eyes seemed to dull a bit as he thought.

"I always thought it seemed out of character for your mother to say that." He said, looking up into her eyes. "I mean, she's the most literal person that I know, and…" He sighed, feeling a tightness in his chest all of a sudden as he watched her eyes so delicately looking into his. "Then… um… the shooting happened, and I… I knew then that she was being literal… that I really, truly cannot breathe without you, Grace." He whispered, as a tear escaped.

"Jack, are you sure you're okay?" She whispered.

"Gracie girl." He sighed, pushing his feet on the ground, he stood up before her, feeling her arms wrap around him tightly, he looked down at her petite figure, her crystal blue eyes with that curious stare. "I love you."

"I love you." She said, her voice still holding that tinge of confusion over what this all was about.

"You're my best friend in the whole world. You're my escape, my release, my runaway buddy, my partner in crime, my heart, my soul, my…" His voice cracked as he took a deep breath, looking up into the sky as if the stars would give him some kind of push in the right direction. He watched as the steam of his breath swirled around them. "Oh God." He whispered.

"Jack?" She whispered.

"Grace, will you marry me?" He asked, though he was still looking up at the sky when the words came out, his voice a bit hoarse, and she wasn't sure she had heard him correctly.

"Jack?" She said again, waiting for his eyes to drop to hers, they did, and he could see the unshed tears in her eyes, and a slight smile on her lips.

"Grace Keenan Booth." He said, speaking her full name as if it were the most important three words he had ever uttered. "Will you be my wife, will you marry me?" He whispered. "Please?" She stood before him, her eyes wider than he had ever seen them before, her mouth just slightly open as her lip trembled. "Geez, Gracie, for a girl who likes to ask so many questions, you sure don't know how to answer one." He smiled.

"YES!" She exclaimed, as suddenly she leapt into the air with all of her strength, slamming her full weight into him as her arms flew around his shoulders. He grabbed hold of her and tried so hard to keep his balance, but her reaction had surprised him, and he stumbled back a little, the swing looping the back of his legs as he tumbled backwards. She was still connected to him, so they both fell through the swing, and landed on the ground on the other side, his legs hanging awkwardly on the swing.

Her body pushed the air out of him when they fell, and he coughed to gain his composure as he held her and laughed. "So… painful…" he grunted as she laughed into his neck, kissing him again and again. "I love you, Gracie." He said, looking into her eyes as she smiled, tears still in her eyes.

"I love you." She whispered, burying her head into his chest for a moment, still in shock from the moment they had just shared. "Are you okay?" She asked, looking up, she watched Jack shake his head and laugh.

"You wait until now to ask that?" He teased, grunting a bit as he shifted under her, feeling the snow seeping into his jeans. "I think I landed on my wallet." He joked.

Suddenly, they heard another voice interrupting their thoughts, as they looked toward the house, finding its owner standing on the back porch with his arms crossed. "What are you two goofballs doing lying out in my yard in February?" Booth asked as he watched his daughter scramble to her feet.

"Daddy!" She exclaimed as she grabbed hold of JV's arm and yanked him into a standing position. "Dad! Guess what!" She started to run, but Jack grabbed her arm quickly. "What?" She asked, turning around, she nearly ran into him as he held the diamond ring an inch from her nose.

"I think you forgot something." He said, watching her eyes focus on the ring, her mouth slightly agape.

"Oh, Jack." She whispered, holding her hand out to him, he slipped it onto her finger and dropped a kiss on her cheek. Their eyes held for a split second before she rushed off to tell her parents their happy news.


	10. Starting Fires

**February 13th 8:30pm-**

Aiden stepped into the bar expecting it to be a little darker than what he had actually gotten, the décor was upbeat and nice, and the clientele was also a little higher scale. He looked around and spotted Antonia across the room, her hand waving to him from a small table in the back. He smiled and made his way through the small crowd of people who were standing around and talking, and carefully slid into the chair across from her. "So, why did you want to come here?" He asked, looking around at everyone as he reached for her hand.

"Because I had an extremely long day, and I've earned a drink… or three." She said, watching him tilt his head and wince a bit. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He shook his head.

"You don't have to stay here with me, Aiden. I can take a taxi home." She said, sensing his uncomfortableness, she sighed.

"I'll stay, I'll stay." He said, looking up to the waitress as she approached the table.

"What can I get for you guys?"

"I'll have a bourbon, neat." She said, smiling at the waitress, her eyes glancing to Aiden, who lifted his eyebrow. "He'll have a soda pop." She glared playfully.

"I'll just have a beer, please." Aiden said, glaring back at Antonia. He smiled up at the waitress, and she nodded, stepping away from the table to put in the order. "There is no need for sarcasm, Tex."

"I just feel like you're judging me because I'd like to imbibe, and I think it's completely within my right to feel a bit hurt by that." She said, watching as he shook his head, a slight smile on his face.

"I just think that drinking at the end of a long day is a bad idea. It breeds habit, and habits can lead to addictions." He shrugged.

"I think I have a pretty good handle on my habits, Agent Fitzgerald." She said, gratefully accepting the drink from the waitress. She watched as he eyed her across the table. "I am starting to believe that you may have had a drinking problem in your past, maybe another addiction… Sex? Drugs?"

"Rock and roll." He said, giving her a wide-eyed smile as he took a sip, he watched her laugh as she sipped at her drink. "You are an adult. I'm not going to lecture you." He said, shrugging.

"You do understand that by saying that you're not lecturing me, you are in fact, lecturing me?" She said, taking another sip.

"Just drink your bourbon, woman." Aiden teased. He sat back in his chair and watched her for a moment, gently drumming his fingertips on the table. "I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to meet for lunch."

She shrugged and sighed. "It happens."

"I saw your little drawings in Hodgins' office." He smiled, watching her eyebrow lift as she sipped her bourbon.

"You did, did you?" She said, now drumming her own fingers on the table. "I'm not Renoir, but I think I could hold my own against some five or six-year old kids at the time." She teased. "Hodgins and I were quite the pair when I was little. Outside of my grandfather, I think he was my biggest male influence." She shrugged, just speaking out loud, not really thinking about what she was saying.

"Not your father?" Aiden asked, catching the look on her face as her eyes moved to the glass, she lifted it to her lips and dropped the rest of the bourbon down her throat. "I'm going to get myself another drink." She said, standing up quickly, she rushed off to the bar.

She returned a couple minutes later with two glasses of bourbon, setting them on the table, she looked across at Aiden, and he shook his head. "Oh, these are both for me, don't worry." She said, sighing as she took a sip from one of the glasses. She smiled at him, and he lifted his eyebrows expectantly. "Oh, you want me to start talking…?" she asked, biting her bottom lip.

"I'm assuming that's why you brought over the double shot of liquid courage." He said, nodding to the two glasses. "Are you alright?" He asked, watching as she trembled a bit as she lifted the glass. "You don't have to talk about anything you don't want to, Tex. I am just making conversation."

"Poking holes in my story? Being an investigator?" She teased, sipping a little more.

He laughed, shaking his head. "No, being an involved boyfriend." He reached out and pulled the glass from her lips. "You can talk to me about anything."

"Well, you know about what happened today, about… what's his name." She said, shrugging.

"Alex Gordon. Yeah." He nodded. "So he's suspended?"

"Pending review, yes. Mom said she's noticed him acting a little squirrelly around me, and it was making her uncomfortable. I just assumed he was trying to suck up to me." She shrugged. "The car thing was really the final straw for me though." She said, shuddering a little. "I don't even like it if someone waits for me at a restaurant, let alone in a dark parking garage." She sighed. "As for our victim, we'll be putting the markers on the skull today, hopefully have an ID tomorrow." She nodded, taking another sip. She watched him over her glass for a few moments, as he just watched her. "How was your day?"

"Busy." He said, shrugging. He sipped his beer and just continued watching her, and he could tell that it was making her a bit unnerved. She swallowed the rest of that glass, and moved onto the next. "Hey, slow down a little bit. I don't want to have to drag you out of here over my shoulder."

"I'll be fine." She said, narrowing her eyes as she took another sip, almost daring him to say something more, and of course he took her up on it.

"I'm getting a little tired of the cat and mouse game." He said, sipping his beer, he sat back and watched her confused expression. "I ask a question, you deflect… I tell you that you can talk about whatever you want, and you just rattle off a bunch of things that I already know. Tell me something that I don't know."

"You get grumpy when you drink." She muttered, licking her lips.

"Ping." He said, making a face.

"What was that?"

"The sound of you deflecting another question." He said, knowing that he was just getting her worked up.

They sat for several minutes, her eyes focused him as he sighed and watched her think about what he was asking her for, what he could possibly want to know. It felt like he had something specific he wanted to ask. "What do you want to know?" she asked, lifting her eyebrows, she watched him cross his arms over his chest, and shrug.

"I want to know why… in all of the pictures that you drew for Hodgins when you were a little girl… why there isn't one representation of your father." He said, leaning forward. "You drew your mom… you drew Hodgins, you even drew your stuffed elephant… but I don't see your dad in any of those drawings." He said, leaning on the table. He dropped the challenging tone from his voice, and settled on curious, as he could see the stubbornness starting to rise in her expression. "Was he out of the picture? Did you not know him? I'm just curious… because your dad said that they had been partners for over 35 years, you're 27… and if math serves me right, he'd have been around."

Antonia stared at the amber liquid in the glass in front of her, swirling it around for a moment before looking up at Aiden. He could see that it was starting to get to her, as her eyelids were drooping slightly. "Well…" She said, speaking to her glass. "Dad did mis-count a few of those years." She said, sighing. "Because for about four and a half of them, he was in the witness protection program."

"He was in the witness protection program?" Aiden repeated.

"I mean, sort of, I guess." She said, shaking her head and shrugging. "He was supposed to be, but he went AWOL… and… and I don't really understand what happened." She said, shaking her head. "There was a plane explosion, and he was supposed to have been on it. I guess he was on it…" she shrugged. "The FBI faked his death because of some case he had been working on."

"When was this?"

"I don't know, like 30 years ago…" She shrugged. "I have newspaper articles about it. I just don't open that box, Aiden." She said sternly, looking at him angrily as she drank the rest of what was in her glass, setting it on the table just a little too hard.

"The timeline still doesn't add up." He said, shaking his head.

Antonia closed her eyes. "If you're talking about me, then… no, the timeline doesn't add up." She opened her eyes and looked him in the eyes. "He is my biological father, there is absolutely no doubt in that." She swallowed hard. "I was three years old by the time Dad came out of hiding." She swallowed hard, her tongue felt dry, her head was spinning. "It all just sucks, Aiden, okay?" She said, slamming her hand on the table, she jumped at her own sound. She took several moments to find her words, finding them at the tips of her fingers as she stared at her hands before looking up at him. "My sister… my brother… they at least got a good start at a normal childhood, you know? Conceived the old fashioned way, out of love, or passion, or whatever. I was conceived in a goddamned petrie dish, I was conceived in guilt, and mourning, and sadness… I wasn't even given a fair start." She said, pointing her finger at him as she shook her head. "I wasn't even given a fair start." She sighed, rubbing her face with her hands. "I'm thirsty." She mumbled.

"So your mother told you that he was dead?" He asked, watching as she placed her hands on the table in front of her, her eyes moving to the two empty glasses.

"She genuinely thought he was dead." She said seriously. "Like, really severe depression, graveside sobbing, and a complete shut down of all work with the FBI. She never said the word dead to me, but I knew, a kid knows, or thinks she knows." Antonia let out a sarcastic laugh. "I need to go." She said, as she started to get up, but he put his hand on her arm, and she sat down hard. "I have to go." She whispered, her eyes pleading with him.

"No, you're not going anywhere." He said, watching her settle back in her seat, she put her head in her hands. "You don't have to talk about it anymore, but you aren't leaving without me."

She laughed again bitterly. "You don't want to go home with this." She shook her head. "I'm really not worth it." She sat for several moments, her head in her hand as she stared at the table. "Aiden, did you ever have an invisible friend when you were younger?" She asked, watching as he tipped his head a bit, unsure of what she was asking. "Like, did you… did you have a… friend, like… a make believe friend that you'd talk to, or tell people you talked to."

"I guess, maybe." He shrugged. "I don't remember, but if you talk to my mother, she could tell you."

"I had one." She said, sighing. "He was a really good friend. His name was Deuce." She said, staring at her hands.

"Deuce." Aiden nodded. "Like your stuffed elephant."

"Yes." She said, smiling a little and nodding. "Well… Deuce was real, he wasn't invisible at all… he just told me that he was… the real one, I mean… not the toy. Oh God, I'm so drunk." She mumbled.

Aiden chuckled a little, watching as she shook her head. "It's okay." He said, touching her hand, she let him rub his thumb over the palm of her hand for a few moments.

"Aiden, this is just… nobody outside of my family knows about this, or understands it, and I really think that I should just stop. I'm just…" She whispered as tears started to roll down her cheeks. "I don't feel very well." She whispered.

"I love you, Antonia." He said softly, watching as her dark eyes met his across the table. She must have looked surprised by his admission because her tears stopped, at least for the moment, and she sniffled. "I hadn't said it since I sat down. I wanted to make sure you knew." He said, continuing to rub her palm softly with his thumb. She stared at his hand for a moment, his thumb rhythmically moving across her skin, she felt a shiver make its way up her hand to her neck, and the alcohol was coursing through her system pretty well. She brought his hand to her face, closing her eyes as she placed it against her cheek. "What are you doing?" He asked, a bit of humor in his question as she looked up at him.

"I just wanted to make sure you were real, not invisible." She said, feeling his hand against her hot cheek. She closed her eyes. She felt his thumb moving slowly across her cheek, and when she opened her eyes, he was looking directly into them. "I'm the kind of girl you leave behind, Aiden." She whimpered.

"Tex." He said, shaking his head.

She let go of his hand and sat for a moment staring at the table. She let out a big sigh, and looked at Aiden with a pained expression. "Jack was in the lab today." She said, shaking her head. "Jack never comes to the lab." She looked up at Aiden. "He went into my mom's office, closed the door. You know what that means, right?" Her speech was slurring, and she swirled the droplets of bourbon in the bottom of the empty glass. He could tell she was starting to get worked up about something else, and wasn't exactly sure how to stop it.

"That he had a private conversation with your mother?" Aiden asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Nice deduction, Sherlock." She glared. "No. Grace and Jack are going to get engaged." She sighed. "She's going to get engaged, and they're going to get married, and have beautiful blue eyed, curly headed babies… and Auntie Toni is going to be that old spinster Aunt that they see on holidays, but don't really know… and she smells like peppermint and sadness…"

Aiden laughed. "You don't smell like peppermint and sadness."

"No, but I will…" She said, leaning her head on her hands as she looked across the table at Aiden. "I will." She sighed. "Maybe I'll have a cat… you know? I can like, dress it up in people clothes, walk it around town in a little stroller."

"Yeah, that's not weird." Aiden shook his head. He sighed, as they were interrupted by Antonia's phone ringing. He could tell that she was in absolutely no state to be answering the phone, but was way too quick for him. She picked the phone up off the table and turned away from him.

"Hello." She said, glaring at Aiden across the table as he held his hand out to her to take the phone. She swatted at his hand and glared. "Oh, hey Grace!" She said, her eyes widening as Aiden's movements became more frantic. He leaned over the table as he tried to grab the phone from her hand. "Stop it." She said, swatting at him. "No, not you… no… Aiden is attacking me…" She said as he stopped for a moment and glared at her. "No, it's fine, we're just out and about, doing stuff and things and you know." She laughed uproariously. "No… no, I'm not drinking. Nope." She said, glancing at the empty glasses. "What was that? Jack asked you to marry him? Wow… I am so surprised." She said, gritting her teeth as she struggled with Aiden as he tried to grab the phone. "That's wonderful." She gritted her teeth and sighed, still swatting at Aiden. "I'm looking forward to your perfect wedding and your perfect children, and your perfect life… I have to go, I have to go jump off a bridge now." She said as she hung up the phone and slammed it hard on the table, listening to the screen crunch under her hand. "Aw, crap." She mumbled, lifting it slowly as she looked at the severely cracked screen, the phone going dark. "Crap, crap." She mumbled as she poked at it. "I broke it."

Aiden grabbed the phone out of her hand and looked at her with a shocked expression. He shoved it into his pocket and stood up, moving to her side. "I think it's time to go home." He said softly, watching her eyes lift to his, she looked like she was about to be sick.

"I don't want to go home." She whimpered.

"It's time." He said, reaching for her hand. "I think we've done enough damage for one day." He said, holding out his hand to her. "Three bourbons… definitely your limit."

"Um, I had one at the bar when I brought the other two back here." She said, smiling drunkenly at him as he looked at her with no humor in his expression. "So that's four bourbons." She said, holding up five fingers. "I hate myself right now." She mumbled.

"Yeah, I get that feeling." He said, as he took her arm and helped her from her seat, she could barely stand up. Aiden dropped money on the table, paying for much more than what they had ordered, but just happy to be getting out of the bar, and he helped her into her coat, as she pouted, and tried to help. They walked out onto the street, and the cold February air smacked them in the face. He could feel his phone vibrating in his pocket, and he was sure he knew who it was. There was no time to check it, he needed to get her to the car and get them home.

"I'm sorry." She said as they stepped up to the car, her eyes full of sorrow and fear. "You can call me a cab, it's okay." She whimpered.

"I'm not calling you a cab." He said, helping her into the car, he reached over and buckled her in, as she tilted her head back and started to cry. "No, no… no crying…" He whispered, dropping a kiss on her nose, she just continued to cry.

"I'm so sorry." She sobbed. "Please don't be mad at me." She whimpered.

He said nothing as he closed her door and walked around the front of the car, opening the driver side door, she looked over at him and sniffled. "I love you." He said, reassuring her as she sobbed.

"I don't deserve you." She said, trying to catch her breath as she cried.

Aiden drove through the streets quickly, his phone still buzzing in his pocket as he ignored it for now, his hand on Antonia's as he tried to help her keep it together long enough to get to his apartment. He pulled up to the side of his building, parking the car in its space, he walked around and opened her door. By now, she had stopped crying, but was sniffling, rubbing her eye with the heel of her hand. He reached across and unbuckled her seatbelt as he helped her from the car.

"This isn't my apartment." She mumbled, holding onto him as he shook his head.

He said nothing, only helped her from the car and up the steps to the door. She leaned her head into his shoulder and sniffed. He unlocked the door and they stepped inside sloppily as he unlocked his apartment door and they stepped inside. "Okay…" He said, sighing. "Bedtime."

"Sexy bed time?"

"Uh, no." He said, shaking his head. "Not tonight." He said, walking with her across the apartment to the bedroom. He pulled her coat from her shoulders, and tossed it on a chair. "Before I put you in my bed, are you going to be sick?"

"I am sick." She nodded her head. "I'm mentally unstable." She mumbled.

"Are you going to be sick, Antonia?" He asked again.

"I don't think so." She mumbled. He walked with her toward the bedroom, sitting her on the bed, he pulled her shoes off, and stood up, watching her look at him as he watched her. "I'm sorry." She whimpered.

"It's fine." He said, watching as she shook her head. "I was the one asking the questions, and I should have stopped. I'm sorry." He said softly.

"I'm so sorry." She whimpered. "I love you, please don't hate me. Please?"

"I don't hate you." He said softly. "Quite the opposite."

"Grace is going to kill me." She said, flopping backwards on the bed, she started pulling at the blankets.

"Alright there, Tex." He said, pulling her legs onto the bed, he tugged at the blankets until she could slide under the covers. "Okay…" He said, kissing her lips, she grabbed his collar.

"Sleep with me." She said, sniffling.

"I have to do a couple things, and then I'll be in bed… just close your eyes."

"I don't want to go to sleep, I want you to make love to me." She said, continuing to hold his shirt tightly.

"No." he said shortly, shaking his head. "I will not make love to you when you are in this state. You need some rest, and we'll talk when you can think clearly." He said, running his fingers through her hair, he sat beside her on the bed.

"I thought I was pretty clear." She said, sighing.

"Close your eyes, Tex."

"Why? So the pain will go away?" She whimpered.

"Yes." He whispered.

"The pain won't ever go away, Aiden. It never goes away. I am a broken person." She said sadly. "It never goes away." She whimpered.

"I'll make it go away." He whispered, "I'm here, and I love you." He whispered, kissing her forehead as her eyes closed slowly, her lip still trembling.

"I love you, Aiden." She whimpered. "I've never told anyone that before."

"I love you." He whispered.

"Please don't leave me." She whimpered sleepily.

"You can trust me." He said, watching as she slowly calmed. "I'm right here, baby." He whispered. "I love you."

"Love you." She whispered, finally allowing herself to finally calm down, the last thing she heard before she fell asleep was Aiden promising her that he would be right there with her when she woke up. He watched her sleep, as he stood up slowly, making his way to the phone to see if he could put out any fires before they became too out of control.


	11. Building Trust

Aiden woke quite a bit before his alarm, his body wound tightly around the woman beside him as he breathed in the scent of her hair. His arm was around her waist protectively, his leg gently between hers as he felt her shoulders pushing back into his chest. He buried his nose in her hair and slowly breathed in, taking in that sweet scent that made him feel dizzy.

He felt her push into him a little tighter, a gentle groan on her lips as she gripped his hand with hers, and sighed. He hadn't realized that she was awake, that she was just lying against him listening to his breathing as she stare at the door across the room. She started to move slightly, so he released his hold on her, moving slightly so she could roll onto her back. The room was dark but for the streetlights, so the expression on her face was muted by the gauzy light that filtered through. He lay on his side, watching as her eyes blinked several times, staring at the ceiling. He wanted to know if she was okay, but instead let her work what she needed through her brain. She turned her head and watched him watching her for a moment, a pall of silent sorrow on her face. "I love you." He whispered, his voice husky with sleep. He could swear he saw a smile twitching at the corners of her lips for just a split second, but still that look of despair seemed to overtake everything. She closed her eyes and rolled onto her side, burying her head into his chest without saying a word, and he wrapped his arm around her again. His fingers ran through her hair as he felt her body tremble slightly as she cried quietly into his chest. "It's okay." He whispered again and again, kissing the top of her head as he just let her get her emotions out. "It's okay, I'm here."

She continued to cry for several moments, her body trembling from the excess emotions that were pouring from her. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so completely vulnerable to someone, so emotionally bare. She sucked in a deep breath and pushed gently against him, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "I'm sorry." She whispered, trying to turn in his embrace to get away , he held onto her tightly. "Aiden" She groaned. "Stop… let me go." She said weakly, not really trying too hard to move away, she felt him pull her to him tighter. She managed to roll enough to face away from him.

She gave up struggling, and lay against him, her eyes staring at the closed door of the bedroom again as she internally begged that he'd loosen his grip so she could escape. "If I let you go, where would you go?" he whispered. She was surprised that he knew that she'd flee.

"I don't know." She whispered.

"That's not the right answer." He whispered. She rolled onto her back again and looked over at him. "Because I'm not going to let you go. The right answer is, that I won't let you go."

"I can't rely on anyone. I have to do this all on my own." She whispered.

"You don't have to bear any burden alone." He replied, running his fingers across her cheek. "It doesn't matter how you were conceived." He said, watching her eyes. "You're here now, right? Your parents love you, they want you to be happy. Your family loves you, I love you. It doesn't matter how you came into this world, it matters what you do with it while you're here."

"You sound like a greeting card." She said, trying to roll away from him, she felt his strong arms around her again. He moved his lips to her ear.

"Be that as it may…" he said, hotly into her ear. "I love the person that you are, what I see, what I know. The past is just that, it's past. I want to work on the future."

She rolled back, looking at him again. "There is so much more, Aiden." She said softly. "There is so much more about who I am that you don't know about." She said softly. "You wouldn't understand."

"Have you ever committed murder?" he asked, watching her expression switch to confusion.

"No." She said, shaking her head slightly.

"Have you ever done anything illegal, hurt someone purposefully? Have you ever cheated, lied, or stolen something?" He asked.

"No."

"Then I think that we're okay." He said, pulling her closer. "I think that those would be obstacles that might put our relationship in jeopardy, so you're in the clear." He smiled. "Antonia, I love you, and I really want to make this work, okay?" He watched her eyes for a moment as they traveled his face, his expression honest. "Do you want this to work?"

"Yes." She replied, her voice soft, but strong.

"Then we will do it, together. We're in this together." He said, looking directly into her eyes. "I don't know what kind of magic it is that you have." He said softly. "But I have fallen so hard for you, so fast. I want to do everything I possibly can to make you happy."

"You believe in magic?" she asked, her voice so vulnerable and small.

"Of course, I do." He said, kissing her forehead. "Now, that alarm is going to go off in exactly an hour and a half. I'd like to spend every second of that time holding you if you don't mind." He whispered, watching her eyes sparkle with a smile.

She sighed softly, with a delicate smile as she nestled her head into his chest, feeling his arms tighten around her as he gently rocked them both back to sleep.

* * *

 **February 14th- 8:30am**

Antonia walked into the lab quickly. She felt like the throbbing of her head in her skull was indicative of actual brain swelling based on the intensity of the pain. She pushed her sunglasses further up her nose in an attempt to block out the sunshine that was pouring into the lab. She tried to climb the stairs to the catwalk as quickly as she could.

"Doctor Booth." Temperance's voice echoed through the lab, stopping Antonia in her tracks as she let her head drop. She turned on the stairs, and walked to the bottom, meeting her mother at the bottom step. Temperance said nothing about the sunglasses, just watched Antonia for a moment. "Angela has the skull, she's working on the reconstruction. You will be working with her today."

"Uh, okay." She stammered a bit.

"You'll find that her office is quiet and warm, and will help with your hangover." Temperance said, turning, she walked toward her office.

Antonia seemed confused, she watched her mother disappear into her office, and stepped off the last step as she pulled the sunglasses from her eyes. She thought back to the conversation that she had with Aiden that morning.

* * *

 _Her head was in her hands as she stared at the table. She heard his feet approach, and a mug of coffee placed on the table, as he slowly pushed it under her arms and directly under her nose. She breathed in the steam and coffee scent, and looked up at Aiden. "I would jump you if the room wasn't spinning so fast." She whispered._

 _"Well, seeing as we have to get you to your apartment in ten minutes, I'm not sure it would have worked out." He said, walking behind her, he kissed her head. "So, you've experienced the top three reasons that I don't drink." He said softly._

 _"Hangovers." She mumbled._

 _"Hangovers, uncontrollable emotional outbursts, and of course… saying inappropriate things to someone on the phone." He said, sitting next to her as she looked over at him._

 _"Oh crap." She whimpered. "I forgot about that." She stared at the table again._

 _"It's fine, I called Grace last night once I got you into bed." He said, drinking from his own cup of coffee, he watched her head move too quickly to him, and she grabbed her forehead._

 _"Oh God," she grumbled. "You called her?" She whimpered. "What did you say? Did you tell her that I'm an idiot?"_

 _"I just told her that we were in the middle of an emotional conversation, and that her call came at a bad time. She was mostly concerned about you, not about what you said. She was at your parent's house, and I guess your Dad was worried about you as well. I reassured them all that you were safe and sound, and I congratulated Grace and Jack."_

 _"I'm going to jump off a bridge." She said, putting her face on the table, she sighed. "I'm not supposed to drink." She whispered into the wooden tabletop._

 _"You're not supposed to drink? Why, is that? Because you make poor decisions?" He asked, noting that she was silent at his question for several seconds._

 _"No, because I'm on medication, anti-depressants." She said, lifting her head to look at him, he didn't seem surprised. "I mean, I can drink a little, but I'm not supposed to drink like that." She whispered._

 _"I'm pretty sure that no human being is supposed to drink like that." He said, tilting his head as he watched her for a moment. "Are you ready to get to your place? Your mother knows you may be running behind this morning. I talked to her last night as well." He said, watching as she sighed and stared at the table. "I love you, Antonia."_

 _She looked over at him, a slight smile on her lips as she tried not to cry. "I love you." She mumbled, sipping the coffee as she sighed gently into her cup._

* * *

"Ant?" A voice pulled her out of her daydream, and she turned her head to see Angela standing in her office doorway, beckoning her inside.

"Oh, sorry." She said, putting her sunglasses on, she walked into Angela's office and sat down hard in one of her chairs, dropping her bag to the floor.

Angela closed the door behind her and glanced to Antonia as she passed her. "Holy crap, child. What did you do?"

"I don't know what that means." She mumbled.

"Well, first of all, you can take the sunglasses off. You're inside the building." She said, smirking at Antonia as she watched her remove her sunglasses. "Second, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She replied, "Can we just get to work now?"

"Is Aiden okay?" Angela asked, cringing slightly as Antonia glared at her. "Okay, okay… work… got it." She said, holding her hands up in surrender, as she and Antonia started working on the reconstruction.


	12. Snowdrops and Daffodils

**February 14th- 12:30pm-**

Antonia sat quietly at a table by herself, quietly picking through her fries to find the softest ones, as the crunchy fries just seemed to grate on her headache even more. The headache was definitely more of a dull roar at this point in the day, and putting food in her stomach was definitely helping. She kept her eyes on the plate, focusing on her fries, as someone pulled out the chair across from her. She looked up and met a matching set of eyes as her father sat across from her.

"Hey, kid." He said, watching her eyes fall back to her plate. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." She sighed. "Here's the file." She said, sliding a folder across the table to him, he put his hand on it and kept his eyes on her, while she continued to pick at her fries. He reached up and grabbed one, and she looked up at him.

"Thank you." He said, lifting his eyebrows. "Is there anything you wanted to talk about?"

"No, not really. Maybe. I don't know." She shrugged, looking up as the waitress brought Booth's lunch, setting it in front of him.

"You're really giving Fitz a run for his money, aren't you?" He asked, watching her eyes narrow at him.

"Where are your two tag-alongs anyway?" She asked curiously.

"Oh, they had FBI things to do. I decided to have lunch with you alone." He said, swiping one of her fries.

"Dad, stop it." She said, swatting at his hand. "I don't want to be lectured on alcoholism, and its interaction with my body while taking anti-depressants, or that my body metabolizes alcohol faster, or that I should eat food when I drink, or…how I should be nicer to my sister, or..."

"Toni." He interrupted, watching her eyes flick up to meet his. "I'm sorry." He said simply.

"You're sorry? You're sorry about what? You haven't done anything wrong." She shook her head. "Did you talk to Aiden about last night?"

"No." He said, shaking his head. "Should I be talking to him about last night?"

"No." She said, pulling a fry from his plate, he narrowed his eyes at her, and she smiled at him. "I was having a bad night. I just… I started talking to him about my past, about… our past, and I don't really know how to do that. It's complicated, and frankly, a little weird."

"You don't have to tell him everything all at once."

"I haven't." She said, watching him closely. "I don't think I can ever talk to him about the… the kidnapping thing." She said, softly. "I couldn't even talk to my shrink about that. I can't even talk to you about that." She shrugged. "It's all too much, way too fast. Maybe I should just slow things down with him, maybe I should just end it, he doesn't want to…"

"Toni, you're backpedaling." Booth said, continuing to eat his lunch.

"I'm not backpedaling, I'm analyzing, reacting, thinking."

"Over analyzing, over reacting, over thinking." Booth said, watching her ears start to turn red from frustration. He tapped his hand on the file. "So, what do we have here?" He asked, looking across the table, the fire in her eyes dulled a bit at the change of subject.

"We ran the reconstruction through the database and came up with someone… actually, two, but they are the same person." She watched him tilt his head. "William Boone was an undercover cop for Metro PD. He was on their vice squad. He was deep undercover as…" She grabbed the file from her father and flipped it open, looking through the pages. "Leon Cook." She said, looking up at him. "About 9 years ago, he fell off the radar, broke contact with Metro PD, and they haven't heard from him since."

"Nine years ago?" Booth said, grabbing the file back, he looked at it. "He's been gone for 9 years? Where the hell has he been?" He asked, looking up at Antonia's glance. "That was rhetorical, don't get sassy with me."

She laughed a little, and then pointed at one of the photos of the skull. "It appears that there was a head injury at some point in his past. Based on the remodeling of the bone, it's very possible that it occurred between 7 and 10 years ago."

"So he got hit in the head, forgot who he was, and then disappeared off the face of the planet, only to end up dead in an alleyway?"

"We don't know how he got there yet." She sighed. "We can't rule out amnesia, or some other incapacitation." She said, pointing again at the picture of the skull. "But we know where he started, and how he ended up." She shrugged.

"Did he have a family?" Booth asked, shaking his head.

"We're looking into it. He was married, but they declared him dead four years ago. They thought that maybe the criminals he was tracking made him and killed him."

Booth sighed, checking his watch, he looked across at Antonia. "Do you want to go for a little ride with me?"

"Sure, where?"

"We should check in at the precinct that this Boone guy was working with. Do you have the information in there?" he asked, nodding toward the folder.

"Yes." She said, getting ready to pay, her father waved it off, and she gave him a shake of her head as she put her wallet away, and he dropped money for their lunch on the table. "You understand by letting you pay for lunch, it could be considered conflict of interest, and acceptance of a gift, which is illegal."

"Can we just get out of here?" He rolled his eyes and stood up, pulling his coat onto his shoulders as he shook his head at her. She smiled as she did the same, grabbing the folder. "So damn sassy." He said, as he put his hand on her back, and led her out of the diner.

* * *

Booth walked into the police station with Antonia right behind him. He walked up to the window and flashed his badge, introducing himself. "This is Doctor…" he paused, unsure of exactly what to say.

"Brennan." Antonia supplied. "I'm Doctor Brennan with the Jeffersonian." She said with a smile, glancing to her father, who looked humored. "It's just easier that way." She whispered.

"We were curious if we could talk to someone about a cold case involving one of your vice detectives." Booth said, watching as the receptionist nodded.

"This is in reference to Detective William Boone." Antonia supplied, glancing to Booth, who nodded affirmatively.

The receptionist nodded her head, and excused herself for a moment to find an officer to speak to them.

Once they were allowed admittance, they were escorted to a small conference room at the end of a hallway, and settled in chairs as they waited for the officer. Booth glanced to Antonia, and noted that her posture had straightened, and her face held one of professional concentration. He felt a flood of pride at Antonia's strides as a forensic anthropologist, and this was the first time that he had taken her out into the field on her own. His mind wandered to the last time Ace had taken her out into the field, on that Christmas morning, and the chaos that followed, but this was different. She was by his side as her mother had been so times, and it felt good.

"I'm proud of you." He blurted out in a whisper, garnering her attention, he watched as a smile appeared on her lips.

"That means a lot, Dad. Thank you." She said, giving him a little nudge as the officer walked into the room.

* * *

Once through with their conversation with the police officer regarding William Boone's assignment and subsequent disappearance, Booth and Antonia made their way back to the lab. They walked through the doors confidently as they made their way to Temperance's office. Just as they reached the doorway, they could hear Ace talking to Temperance, and Booth slowed down, trying to catch what he was saying. He exchanged a look with Antonia, who rolled her eyes, as he smiled.

"But you don't understand, Doc. If he had amnesia, why wouldn't he end up in a hospital, or a…" Ace stopped, watching Booth lean against the doorway. "Where the hell have you been all afternoon?"

"We've been at our victim's precinct, asking some questions. Why are you torturing my wife?"

Temperance looked up at him and smiled. "I'm not even listening to him anymore." She smiled at Booth, catching a glimpse of Antonia behind him. "Doctor Booth delivered the folder with the information, I presume."

"She did." Booth said, indicating for Antonia to enter the room, she walked in and sat beside Ace, offering up a knuckle for him to tap with his, smiling slyly. "Then we took a little field trip."

"And what did you find out?" Temperance asked, glancing to Antonia, with a proud smile.

"Apparently he was working on a…" her voice trailed off as Aiden appeared in the doorway, smiling as he leaned against the frame. Antonia could feel her ears burning suddenly, and sighed before she continued. "He was working on busting a big time gambling ring with ties to organized crime. He had been getting deeper and deeper undercover, until eventually he wasn't even calling in but once a month with updates. Apparently, there was an incident at one of the bars that these guys frequent, and they found a lot of blood, but no body. The blood was tested, and it matched Boone's genetic profile… they assumed with the amount of blood, that he had been murdered, and the body hidden. They thought that, because after that, he wasn't seen or heard from again." Antonia said quickly. "Except, that about three weeks ago, they were contacted by someone who claimed to be Boone. When they went to meet up with him, he never showed." She shrugged.

"Where had be been?" Aiden asked, glancing to Ace, who shrugged.

"That's what we have to find out." Antonia smiled as she crossed her arms over her chest, looking at the three FBI agents in the room. "I did my part…" She shrugged.

"Your part isn't done, Doctor Booth." Temperance said, watching her daughter smile. "There are still particulates and his clothing to be scrubbed and analyzed. I'm sure Doctor Hodgins would appreciate your help."

"As for you, Fitz." Booth said, looking toward the young agent, who was caught with his eyes on the young scientist, a coy smile on his face. He looked to Booth, and lifted his eyebrows. "You've got a long night ahead of you. Metro police is sending over their files on William Boone. We need you to look through them and gather as much information on the cases he was working on, and put together a suspect list. Figure out who is out there still, who is dead, who is in jail. I hope you didn't have any plans for this evening."

"Ah, actually no." He shook his head, shrugging a little as he watched Antonia furrow her brow. "My girlfriend doesn't celebrate Valentine's day. I also think that she'll be working late this evening anyway. She's in love with her work. I can't really compare." He shook his head.

"Alright, I need to get back to work." Antonia said as she stood up and walked toward the door, giving Booth a light squeeze on his shoulder as she passed him. She made it to the door and eyed Aiden as she passed him, narrowing her eyes playfully. "Have a nice afternoon." She said, sending a quick wave as she walked out of the room, turning once to see Aiden watching her.

She walked toward her workstation, her hands drumming on the file in her hand as she spied what looked to be four small flower pots sitting on her work station. She swallowed hard as she approached them, her heart beating wildly as she ran her finger over the delicate flowers. "Snowdrops." She whispered, a tear coming to her eye as she smiled at the daffodils that were in the next flowerpot. There was a small card, and she carefully opened the envelope, sure she knew who they were from. "Turn around." Was all the card said. She turned slowly, and nearly gasped when she saw Aiden several steps away, his green eyes shining with pride. "How did you know?" She whispered.

He stepped closer to her, and smiled, not caring that they were in the lab, or that there were several people watching. "How did I know what?"

"How did you know that snowdrops and daffodils are my favorite?" She whispered.

"I have my sources." He whispered, reaching out to touch her hands, she moved quickly and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his chest as she tried not to cry. "I love you." He whispered, kissing her head lightly, he held her for several moments.

"Aiden." She whispered, looking up into his eyes, she smiled with tears in her eyes.

"No, no… no crying." He said, running his thumb over her cheek. "Happy Valentine's Day." He said, dropping a kiss on her lips.

"I love you too." She whispered, glancing at the flowers, and then back at him. "I love them."

"They're only half as beautiful as you." He said, watching her make a face. "Okay… how about, it pays to know a forensic botanist."

She let out a joyful laugh, glancing toward Hodgins office, where he stood grinning. He waved. "You use your sources wisely." She laughed, giving him another hug. "You should probably go now." She whispered.

"Yep, gonna be a long night." He smiled. "Thanks for that."

"I have to keep you honest, Agent Fitzgerald." She said as she took a step back, still holding his hand.

"I'll see you later, Tex." He said, holding up a finger gun, she did the same. "Don't get into any gunfights while I'm gone."

"I'll try." She said, waving as he took a few steps back, and walked toward Temperance's office, where his ride was waiting.


	13. Altercation

**February 14** **th** **\- 5:45pm**

Antonia stood on the platform reviewing some notes as the lab emptied out. It didn't take long before she was the only person left. She looked up at the work space and sighed as she focused on the paperwork in front of her, writing notes as she read through the results of some of their tests. She glanced back to her mother's darkened office, wishing that Temperance stayed a little later so that they could go to dinner together, ignoring the sound of her stomach growling for the time being. She heard the sound of the lab door opening and thought nothing of it, expecting that one of the interns had just simply forgotten something. She heard the sound of sneakers on the intensely clean floor, and didn't look up as the person stopped just within view of her.

"Hey." The person called to her to get her attention. Antonia closed her eyes when she heard the voice, immediately recognizing it.

"Hey, Grace." She said, still looking over the papers, she said nothing more. "Mom went home."

"I'm not looking for Mom, I'm looking for you. You don't answer text messages or phone calls anymore?" Grace snapped.

"My phone is broken." She said, glancing up to see that her sister was standing with her arms crossed, her eyes dark with anger. "I don't even know where it is. I think Aiden has it." She looked down at her papers.

"Stop ignoring me!" Grace exclaimed, walking over to the platform stairs, she knew that it would force her sister to stand.

"Don't you dare come up here." Antonia said angrily. "You know you're not supposed to be up here, especially in the middle of a case."

"Then come down here, or I'm coming up there." Grace said, taking another step.

"You think that I can't ignore you just as well down there, as I can up here? What is your problem?" Antonia asked, standing at the top of the stairs as if she were protecting the platform from Grace.

"You." Grace snapped. "You're my problem." She said, taking the second step up.

"Get off my platform." Antonia said angrily, stepping down one step, she pushed her sister lightly, sending her down a step. "I don't come into your office and screw around with your precious police paperwork. Don't come into my space and demand to talk to me."

"Well, it's either come here and see you, or go to the bar and drag your drunken ass off a stool." Grace said with a glare. "You're a damn mess, Antonia. Having Aiden call me and apologize, making him do your dirty work!"

"Hey…hey." JV said, stepping into the lab, he could see that a brawl was about to erupt if he didn't do something about it, he jogged across to them, putting his arm between them as Antonia took the last step off the platform into her sister and Jack's arm, forcing them to take a step back. "I brought you here to talk to her, not to elicit a riot." Jack said, pulling Grace back. There was an angry electricity in the air between the two girls, and neither was willing to back down.

"I called you last night, do you even remember?" Grace growled.

"Yeah, I remember. Congratulations on your engagement." She said, shrugging. "Is that what you wanted to hear? Is that why you came in here with your attitude? To throw it in my face? I don't have time for this, Grace. I have a real job to do here." Antonia said angrily, her eyes snapped to Jack as he looked on helplessly. "I don't know what made you think this was a good idea."

"I just wanted to talk to you." Grace replied. "I came in here, and you just treat me like I'm invisible, like I don't even exist. I'm your sister, Ant. Doesn't that mean anything to you?" Grace asked.

"You came in here, while I was in the middle of reading something, and interrupted me. You immediately demanded my attention as if I owe you something. You don't want to have a sister moment, you want to assert your dominance. Now I said my congratulations, what more do you want?"

"I don't know." Grace said, stepping back into Jack, she watched Antonia look at her angrily. "I just… I thought that you'd be more happy about it, that maybe you'd want to have a conversation, or talk about it. I don't know."

"You don't know why you came here? Or you don't know how I was going to react? You know I don't do mushy, Grace. Why would now be any different? Why are you here? Is it because you finally figured out that Jack here is your soulmate? I could have told you that fifteen years ago. It's not a big deal, okay? So, you're going to get married. He put a rock on your finger, staked his claim on you…"

"Hey." Jack said, shaking his head. "No."

"Oh, so now he speaks." Antonia snapped. "I just want to do my work, okay? My phone is broken. I am sorry for my outburst last night. I wasn't in a very good place, and it appears that I'm still not in a very good place today. Thank you for stopping in, have a wonderful evening of roses and chocolates and whatever engaged couples do on Valentine's day. Goodnight." She said, turning on her heel, she walked up onto the platform, scanned her card, and stepped back over to her work station.

Grace continued standing there, her eyes filled with rage. "Antonia, you're just a jealous, bitter, horrible person. You're going to live out your miserable life alone just to prove to everyone else that you were right!"

"Grace." Jack said, taking her hand.

"Aiden is going to find out soon enough that your heart is nothing but a cold, frozen block of ice!"

"Grace." Jack said, his voice stronger. "Grace, stop." He could see Antonia's eyes becoming darker and more filled with anger, and the last thing he wanted was to pry the two of them apart.

"Sometimes, I just… Sometimes I hate you!" Grace said.

"Grace!" Jack said firmly.

"What?" She exclaimed, turning to face Jack. Her cheeks were bright red, her eyes red with unshed tears. "It's true." She said angrily. "I'm tired of everyone just telling me to leave her alone, that it's just Antonia being Antonia. I'm tired of people making excuses for her childhood trauma, her issues, and her stupid depression! We all walk around on eggshells, because she's a selfish, cold, angry, hateful person, and I hate it! I hate this person that she's become. She doesn't care about anyone but herself! She's a selfish jerk, and she deserves to end up alone!" Grace shouted.

She turned to look over at her sister on the platform and confront her one more time, expecting that she'd be ready to defend herself as she always was. As soon as Grace noticed her sister was no longer there, she could feel her face start to burn with embarrassment, and her stomach twist uncomfortably. Somewhere in the middle of Grace's tirade, Antonia had left, exiting off the other side of the platform. Grace turned to look at Jack, who stood shaking his head at her, his eyes wide and bright, exasperated. Grace's cheeks burned as she swallowed hard as she watched Jack's eyes. "What did I just do?" she whispered to him, watching Jack as he shook his head, unable to answer.

* * *

Antonia sat in one of the back rooms of the lab, her breathing erratic, her body shaking as she tried to calm herself. The darkness was a welcome reprieve, and her fear took a back burner to her intense anxiety. She breathed slowly, trying to stop the ensuing panic attack, closing her eyes. She reached for the phone on the wall, dialing the code to get an outside line. She sat for a moment, trying to decide if she should do this, afraid of rejection, or refusal. She had never, ever done something like this before, she had never asked for help. Before her brain could out-task her heart, she dialed a number quickly.

"Fitzgerald." His voice was deep and serious over the line.

"Aiden." She whispered, her voice holding the intense anxiety that her heart was trying to hold back.

"Tex, are you alright?" He asked, his voice immediately filled with concern.

She took a slow, deep breath. "I just needed to hear your voice." She whispered.

"What's going on? Are you alright? Are you still at the lab?" His questions were quick and filled with more questions, as she could picture him standing at his desk, his eyes alert and concerned.

"I'm just having a bad day." She said, feeling her nerves starting to calm. "I'll be okay."

"Are you sure? I can be over there in ten minutes."

"No, no." She said, knowing that what he was saying was the truth. "I just needed to know that you're there."

"What happened?" he asked. "Tell me."

She paused for a moment, wondering if she should keep it to herself, or involve him. He wanted to know, and that was enough for her, though she had never had someone who was so close to knowing who she really was. "Grace came by. She was angry, said some things." She whispered.

"What things?" he asked. "What did she say, Tex?" She could tell that he was probably more relaxed now, based on the tone of his voice, he was probably sitting in his chair in the bullpen, waiting for her answer.

"She was angry about last night." Antonia said softly. "She was angry because I didn't call her today. I was in the middle of something, and she said some really awful things to me, and I just panicked. It's stupid. I'm sorry that I'm bothering you with this."

"No." he said softly. "No, I want you to talk to me when something bothers you, it's always okay, always. Are you alright? Do you want me to come over? I can bring dinner, and a couple of boxes of files."

She smiled slightly as she shook her head. "Agent Fitzgerald, are you trying to get me to help you with your homework?"

He laughed a little on the line, and she could hear his chair squeaking as he sat up. "Doctor Booth, how dare you accuse me of shirking my responsibilities." He said playfully. "Uh, but yeah… will you help me with my homework?" He said with a laugh. "I work better in a collaborative environment."

She smiled into the line, finally calmed from the earlier altercation. "I would be happy to collaborate with you."

"Okay, I'll be there in twenty minutes." He replied.

"Just a moment ago you said you could be here in ten minutes." She teased.

"Boxes of files, and a stop at the Thai restaurant is going to slow me down a bit, Tex." He replied, listening to her laughter over the line. "I'll see you soon. I love you."

"I love you." Antonia said softly, quickly hanging up the phone. She stood up and stretched, quietly opening the door into the lab. She stepped inside and looked around at the silent room, expecting that maybe Grace would stick around to continue the argument. They both had the hard headedness of their father on their side, but she found the lab to be empty.

Taking slow steps back to the platform, she walked up the steps and scanned her card, settling peacefully in her work station. She opened the file she had been working on, and looked up at the small flower pots in front of her, her eyes gazing into the small drops of white of the snowdrops, and the regal stance of the white and yellow daffodils. She smiled at them as Aiden's words echoed in her head, instead of Grace's angry accusations, continuing to work.


	14. Trigger? Happy?

Antonia sat patiently at her workstation as she continued to work on preparing her notes on the particulate findings, when she heard the gentle beep and slide of the lab door open across the way. She looked up to see Aiden attempting to walk in through the door holding two boxes, with bags of take-out balanced on top. She quickly stood up and rushed toward him, laughing as he called to her.

"I got it, I got it…" She said, reaching up to grab the take out from the top of the pile, he gave her a playful scowl.

"Saving your dinner, huh? How about grabbing one of these boxes?" He said playfully.

"Oh, right." She said, laughing as she put the take out back on the boxes and lifted the top box off. "Smells good."

"Only the best for my girl." He said, following after her as she led him to the conference room. He hefted the box onto the table, and watched as she already had her nose in the bags. "Wow, you waste no time, do you?"

"I'm hungry." She said, turning around to the small cupboard in the room, she grabbed two paper plates and some napkins. She turned and watched him looking over at her. "Thank you."

"It's no problem at all." He said, accepting the plate as they pulled the containers out of the bag and divided their meal. "I didn't want to eat alone, and you hadn't eaten yet, so it was the perfect storm." He said, leaning over to drop a kiss on her cheek as he handed her a fork. He sat down in one of the chairs, and looked up at her as she smiled at him. "What?" he asked, watching her curiously.

"Nothing." She shook her head, sitting down in the chair beside him, she shrugged. "Thank you for dinner."

"You already said that." He said, watching her curiously as he started to eat.

"I didn't want to appear ungrateful." She said, her smile fading a bit as she focused on her meal. "And, um… thank you for coming here, for answering the phone."

"That's what partners do." He said, putting his hand on her shoulder, he watched her eyes focus on her meal. "I know you don't ask for help very often, but I like helping. I like being the one that you call when you need someone."

"So, you have a superhero complex?" she asked, looking up, she smiled brightly, one that reached her eyes, and she laughed a little when he grinned.

He clutched his chest playfully. "Oh man, you hit me, right here…" He said, pounding on his chest, he listened to her laugh. "Well, I don't wear spandex, and I know that the rightful place for my underwear is beneath my clothes… but sure, call it a complex if you like." He shrugged with a playful smile, taking a bite of his dinner, he reached for the first box, and pulled a pile of folders out, setting them on the table. "Thank you for helping me with my homework." He said, watching her eyes meet his again.

"Only the best for my hero." She said, laughing at his head shake, as they got down to business.

* * *

Jack pulled out the chair for Grace, watching as she sat down. Her face was still twisted in an irritated scowl as she sighed. "Will you stop huffing and puffing, please?" JV asked, watching her eyes meet his. The restaurant was beautiful, and they had both dressed for the occasion, but Grace was obviously still distracted by her argument with her sister.

"I just don't understand." She said, shaking her head. "She never walks away during an argument. She never stands down. I expected to at least get called a name or berated or something."

"You're upset because your sister didn't verbally attack you?" Jack asked, laughing incredulously. "Can we please just enjoy our dinner, and not worry about Antonia? She's a big girl, she'll be fine."

"Did you hear what I said? I really went too far." Grace said, thanking the waiter for the menu.

"Yes, yes you did." JV said, looking at the menu.

"But she deserved it, didn't she?" Grace asked, watching as Jack just continued to look at the menu.

"Yep." He nodded.

"You're not even listening to me anymore, are you?"

"Nope." He said, looking up at her. "Grace. I don't know what you want from her. I don't even think you know what you want from her. You know that Antonia takes a day or two to process big news. She has a lot of stuff going on in her life right now, and our happiness piled on top of that doesn't really fit into her list of things to be concerned about. Instead of being offended, just give her time to process everything."

Grace sighed, looking at the menu for a moment, she tried to focus on it, but her mind kept wandering. "But why did she walk away?"

"I don't know." Jack said honestly.

"I'm worried about her." She said softly. "What if she…"

"Grace." Jack said, his voice stern. "She won't hurt herself." He said, grabbing her hand. "Besides… you said you were tired of worrying about her stupid depression." He looked back to his menu, as she pulled her hand out of his. "What? Your words, not mine. Just figure out what you want to eat." He said, tapping the menu.

She glared at him and sighed, staring at her menu again. "I'm not hungry anymore." She mumbled.

* * *

Aiden carefully wrote out some notes from the folder he was reading through, glancing over at Antonia as she spread one of the folders out on the table, her eyes carefully scanning each page as she made notes, and drew diagrams, humming to herself as she chewed on the end of the pen. She was leaning across the table, her shoes kicked off as she knelt on the chair. She glanced over at Aiden, catching him watching her, and she smiled slyly. "What are you looking at?"

"Just watching you work." He said, watching as she shrugged shyly. "I just like watching you think."

"Why is that?" she asked, looking humored by his confession.

"I don't know. I don't want you to feel self-conscious about it. I just enjoy watching you work, think… it encourages me to work harder."

"Is this that collaborative environment you were speaking of earlier?" She asked, sitting back in her chair, she pulled her feet out from under her and sat heavily in the chair.

"Yeah." He laughed. "Did you find anything interesting in your pile?" he asked, looking at her mess of notes that she had in front of her, she shrugged.

"There are a few things that may be important, but right now I'm just making some connections with the various cases that Boone was working on." She shrugged.

"Some of the files just have crime scene photos." He said, pulling out a pile of 8x10 photos of various locations, he spread them out in front of her, and watched her look over them carefully.

Her eyes flicked from photo to photo, and suddenly she was starting to feel a little light headed. There were photos of warehouses, small rooms where victims had been held, a close up on ropes that bound one of the victims in the case. Pools of blood, bodies lying on the ground. She could feel her throat closing up as she stared at the pictures, unable to speak, but unable to look away. Her breathing was starting to become a bit erratic as she felt the panic rising into her chest. "Tex, are you okay?" he asked, watching as her eyes flicked from photo to photo, faster and faster. "Tex?"

"I have to go to the restroom." She said, pushing the chair out quickly, before Aiden could ask her again if she was alright, she was already gone.

* * *

Grace picked at her meal, staring at the pasta in front of her as she sighed and rolled the spaghetti onto her fork, letting it fall off again. She looked up to see Jack watching her, his eyebrows raised. "What?" She asked.

"Are you going to just keep playing with your dinner, or are you going to actually eat it?" Jack asked, watching as she shrugged. "I can't believe you're letting this whole thing ruin our evening."

"It's not ruining our evening! I'm just… I'm fine. I'm having fun." She said, forcing a smile.

"Yeah, that's believable." He muttered.

"I can't even call her." Grace said with a sigh. "Even if I wanted to apologize, I can't. Her phone is broken."

"Then stop worrying about it." Jack said, watching Grace as he rested his chin on his hand. "I'm sure that she's perfectly fine."

* * *

Antonia stood in the restroom, staring at her reflection in the mirror as she tried to control her breathing. The images that had been in front of her were stirring up memories that she had worked so hard to push down. She had seen crime scene photos before, it wasn't her first experience, but something about these seemed to trigger a deep, vicious fear. She could feel her stomach twisting with anxiety. She had only been in the restroom for a moment, she thought, when she heard the gentle knock at the door.

"Tex, are you okay in there?" Aiden said, tapping again at the door. "Tex?"

"I'll be right out." She said, though her voice contained a strangled fear that was evident in the tone of her voice. She cleared her throat. "I'm okay, I'll be right out." She said, taking slow deep breaths as she stared at herself in the mirror. "I'm okay." She said again, knowing that he could hear her, but somehow being comforted by that fact. She closed her eyes, picturing him on the other side of the door, his kind eyes and warm embrace. "I'm okay." She whispered. She opened her eyes and looked directly into her eyes as if she were trying to stare herself down.

She turned and stepped to the door, opening it to find him standing there, his eyes directly on hers, exactly how she had pictured him. "I'm okay." She nodded.

He didn't say another word, simply stepped forward and pulled her into him, feeling her arms wrap around him tightly as she held on for dear life. He rocked her gently, kissing her head as he held her, feeling her body trembling against him. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked her. He could feel her shake her head against him, so he nodded, and then he felt her nod. He let out a puff of laughter at her indecision as he kissed her head. "It's okay, whatever you need."

"I promised I'd help you with your work." She said, rubbing her eye with the heel of her hand. She let out a puff of air as she continued trying to regulate her breathing. "The photos, they just… they reminded me of… of something." She said, swallowing hard, she looked up into his eyes watching him nod his head.

"I understand." He said, his eyes still showing concern.

"Not tonight though, okay? I don't want to talk about it tonight, okay?"

"That's fine." He said. "I'll put the pictures away, and we'll keep working on the other files, okay?"

She nodded, watching him give her a supportive smile. "Okay." She smiled back at him, feeling a quiet peace in her heart. "I love you." She whispered, just wanting to hear him say it back, just wanting to reaffirm that the feeling that she had in her heart was real.

"Hey, I love you." He said, taking her hand. "Now let's finish up this work so we can go home." He said, tugging her hand and pulling her along, as she let out a laugh, and let him.

* * *

The car pulled up in front of Grace's apartment, and JV looked over at her with a raised eyebrow. "Did you want me to stay tonight?" he asked, watching her look over at him with a confused glance. "You just have a lot on your mind, and I have to be at the hospital really early. I don't want to wake you up."

"Whatever." She shrugged.

"Don't 'whatever' me, Gracie K." he said, his voice giving a bit of an irritated tone. "I told you that we shouldn't have gone to the lab, and it's soured your mood the entire night."

"Goodnight, Jack." She said, opening the door.

"Grace, don't be like that." He said, watching her start to climb from the car, he reached across for her. "I love you, Gracie girl."

"I love you." She sighed, giving his hand a squeeze. "Goodnight." She said, letting go of his hand, she climbed from the car. She walked toward the steps, and up to the door, opening the door, she waved to Jack. He waved to her as she stepped inside, and then left for his own apartment.


	15. Never a Dull Moment

**February 14th- 11:45pm**

Antonia put her last file back into the box and watched Aiden continue to write several more notes. She rested her head in her hands and watched him, her eyes droopy with sleep. He looked up at her and smiled. "Almost done."

"It's fine." She sighed sleepily.

"So, are you going to tell me what Grace said to you?" He asked, having avoided the conversation that had brought him there.

"I told you what she said, she was mad that I didn't call her, or that I wasn't happy with their announcement, or…"

"Are you happy for their announcement?" he asked, looking up at her, she shrugged. "You don't know?"

"No, of course I'm happy for her. She's my baby sister, you know? I just… I don't get all giddy and excited about things like that. A change like marriage is one of those things that can bring up tons of other problems and concerns."

"So you look at announcements as a way to complicate things?" he asked, putting his pen down, he watched her shrug her shoulders.

"They do complicate things, don't you agree?" she asked, watching him shake his head and tip his chair back.

"What else did she say, Tex?" he asked, stretching a little with a yawn. Her eyes moved to the files again, and she started thumbing through them. "You're avoiding."

She looked up at him and glared. "I'm not avoiding. Are you done with that file?"

"Uh, yeah." He said, closing the folder, he handed it to her. We have a pretty good list of people that we can look into." He said, tossing the notepad he was writing in on top of the boxes. "I'm going to leave these here, pick them up in the morning." He stood up and helped Antonia clean up their food containers and plates. They were gathering their things as he watched her leave to get her coat. He was just putting his coat on when his phone started to ring. Without looking, he accepted the call "Fitzgerald." He said, looking up. "Woah, woah… slow down, slow down…. Who is there? Okay, okay… It's fine." He said, as he looked up as Antonia walked into the room. "And you're safe, right? You're in the building?" he nodded, watching Antonia's look of concern. "I'll be right there, do not let him inside, and call the police. I know, I know… just do it. I'll be right there." He said, hanging up the phone, he looked at Antonia. "We have to make a stop before we go home."

"What's going on, who was that?" She asked, pulling her coat onto her shoulders as he stepped toward her.

"That was Grace. Shane is outside of her building and won't leave." Aiden said, putting his hand on her back as they walked out of the room.

"So she called you?" Antonia asked.

"She said that Jack went to his place and is sleeping, his phone is off, and that your Dad or Ace will literally kill Shane, so I was the next best thing." He said, as they walked toward the exit.

"How does it feel to be fourth on the list?" She let out a laugh as he rolled his eyes, and they rushed out of the lab together.

"Let's just go." He said, pushing on the door to the stairwell, he shook his head at her, letting her take the stairs ahead of him.

"Superhero complex!" She laughed, glancing back, as he let out a nervous laugh, and followed after her.

* * *

The SUV pulled up to the front of Grace's building, where an extremely inebriated man stood slamming his finger into the buzzer for Grace's apartment. "Grace! Please let me up! I love you! Please!" Shane begged. The sound of Grace's voice came from the intercom as she once again told him to go away.

Aiden parked the car, and before he even turned the car off, Antonia was out the door onto the sidewalk. "Hey!" She exclaimed as she tried to get Shane's attention, she heard Aiden swear as he turned the car off and called to her, but she would hear none of it. "Hey, moron! Do you have any idea what time it is?" She said, stepping up the stairs.

"What the hell are you doing here." Shane stammered drunkenly, stepping back, he glared at Antonia. His eyes focused on Aiden as he stepped up the stairs behind her. "Oh, it's you. The fucking knight in shining armor!" Shane said, reaching out to push Aiden's shoulder, Antonia reached up and pushed his arm away. "Don't you touch me, bitch!"

"Hey, hey…. That's enough of that." Aiden said. "Shane, it's time to go home. It's after midnight, and Grace doesn't want you here. Just go home."

"This is my home. I belong here with Grace. She loves me."

"No. No, I don't." Grace said through the intercom.

"That's enough from the peanut gallery." Aiden said, trying not to incite the drunken man any further. He was still standing behind Antonia, and she wouldn't give up her position.

"Grace has called the police, Shane. You need to go home." Aiden said, trying to speak reason.

"I am the fucking police!" He shouted, reaching out to push Aiden again, Antonia pushed him back. "I said don't fucking touch me!" he exclaimed, pushing hard at Antonia's shoulders, Aiden held his footing and reached over her shoulder to grab him.

"Don't you dare touch her." He said, his teeth gritting as he watched the challenge in Shane's eyes as he attempted to push Antonia again. However, Antonia was more than ready for his next move, and grabbed Shane by the collar of his coat, swung him around, and slammed his body hard into the door, knocking the wind out of him as she shoved her knee into his groin.

"Try it again, asshole." She said, holding him tightly against the door. His eyes were wide with surprise, and he winced in pain. "Now get your filthy, pathetic, piece of shit ass off my sister's steps before I punch you so hard in your liver, that you'll be tasting bile for a month. Do you understand?" He said nothing, so she pushed him again, sending his head knocking into the door. "Do you understand!?"

"You're such a…"

"Yeah, yeah… I'm a bitch. Whatever. Leave my sister alone. Go home." She said, she pushed back and let go of him, as he stood shaking his head. She could feel Aiden's chest behind her, and knew that he was trying to protect her, but she was tired, and fed up with all of this. "Shane, she doesn't want to be with you, okay? That's her choice, it's not your choice. She wasn't happy with you. She deserves better than you. It's time to move on."

"So she's picking that twerpy little idiot over me?" Shane said, almost pathetically.

"Yeah, she picked the twerpy little idiot over you." Antonia said, just agreeing with him instead of defending Jack, it was easier. "So, go home."

"I don't want to go home!" he said, suddenly becoming enraged again. "I love Grace! She deserves better!" He shouted again. They could hear the police sirens in the distance, and Antonia prayed they'd get here soon, for they weren't sure how long they could hold him off. "You know! She would still love me if it wasn't for your nagging!" he said, putting his finger in Antonia's face. "And your interference!" He yelled, looking directly at Aiden. "She'd still be with me!"

"You're delusional." Aiden said, shaking his head.

"I'll give you delusional!" Shane said angrily, as he swung his fist fast and hard, aiming for Aiden, but in his drunken state completely missed his target, sending his fist full throttle into the side of Antonia's face.

* * *

Booth was roused from his sleep as his cell phone blared on the bedside table. He practically slammed the phone into his ear. "Booth." He mumbled into the line, sitting up. "What?" He said, his eyes wide as he glanced to Temperance as she lay sleeping. "Uh, yeah… is she okay?" Booth paused, sighing. "I'll be right down." He said, sighing. He hung the phone up.

"Who was that, Booth?" Temperance asked sleepily, her eyes focused on him as he looked over at her.

"I have to go pick our daughter up from jail." He said, his voice still thick with sleep.

"Which one?" Temperance asked, sitting up.

"Take a guess." He said, standing up carefully, he made his way to the bathroom to get ready to go.


	16. The Long Night

**February 15th 2:30am**

Booth pulled his SUV up to the police station, glancing to Temperance as she stared straight out of the windshield, her emotions deeply hidden beneath her stone façade. "Bones, are you okay?"

"I won't be okay until I know what is going on." She said, climbing from the car as Booth did the same. "Agent Fitzgerald is here." She said, glancing to Booth, who gave her a confused glance. They stepped toward the building and Aiden stepped out of the building. He looked roughed up, his face scratched, his clothes in disarray. He walked toward them quickly.

"Fitz, what the hell happened?"

"She's okay. Both of the girls are okay." He said, knowing that it was probably what they really needed to know.

Booth and Brennan exchanged a look and looked back at him. "Grace and Antonia are both in there?" Booth barked. "What the hell happened?" He said, grabbing Temperance's hand in his, they walked toward the door.

"It was Shane, he was harassing Grace. She called me to try to get him to leave, but he was drunk, and completely out of his mind." Aiden said, clearly distraught as he walked along with them, Booth yanked at the door handle and looked toward Aiden. "He punched Antonia, he was aiming at me… she went down, but then immediately came to and went after him."

Booth stopped, glanced at Fitz with blind rage in his eyes. "He punched her?" he growled.

"In the face." Aiden said, shaking his head. "It was so fast, and the next thing I knew, she jumped at him, and they rolled down the stairs before I could get him. I tried to pull them apart, but she was screaming at him, hitting him, and she was bleeding, and…" He was absolutely beside himself as he described the scene. "The police arrived and pulled them apart, they put them in different cars and drove them here. I got Grace, and she's back there too. She wasn't involved in the fight, but they won't let me see her. They won't let me talk to them. They took my statement, but that's it."

Temperance approached him as Booth talked to the woman behind the counter. "It's alright, Aiden." She said, watching the fear in his eyes as he tried not to be emotional. "I'm sure she's okay. It's okay." She touched his face with her hand, trying to calm him. He felt the warmth of her hand, and the concern in her eyes, and wished there was some way to calm her worries as well.

"He was trying to punch me." He whispered. "He should have hit me."

"Yeah, well… the same thing would have happened if he punched you, Fitz." Booth said, glancing to him. "She would have jumped him either way." He said, turning back to the counter. He nodded his head at the woman and glanced to Temperance and Aiden. "We can go back." He said, as the door buzzed.

They were led down a hallway to a small conference room, and everything was eerily quiet. They entered the room and all three of them stood, refusing to sit as they waited patiently. After a moment, a uniformed officer walked in and smiled politely. "Mister and Mrs. Booth." He said, shaking their hands, he glanced to Aiden, and back to Booth and Temperance. "I'm Officer Garrett. We called you because you are Grace's emergency contact, so we felt that under the circumstances, we felt that you'd like to be informed of Antonia's situation." He said as he gave them a slight smile. "As for the incident, it appears that Officer Shane Dolan was at Grace's apartment attempting to gain access, and was in an altercation with your daughter Antonia. Now, based on her statement, and other witness statements, there will be no charges against Antonia, as she was acting in self-defense. Officer Dolan, however has been charged with assault, and possibly menacing. Grace has issued a request for a restraining order, and we are looking into that process." He said, watching the three people before him, he could feel the tension in the room.

"Where is Antonia?" Temperance asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, she was hit pretty hard, and we're sure she has a concussion. Grace is with her in the restroom, cleaning her up. She's throwing up pretty hard back there." He said with a cringe.

Temperance straightened. "She's vomiting?" She whispered.

"Yeah, and she's gonna have quite the black eye." He said, watching Temperance scowl angrily.

"May I see them, please?" Temperance asked, glancing to Booth, who nodded his head in agreement.

"Uh, sure. Just come with me, and I'll direct you to the restroom." He looked to Booth and Aiden. "I'll send them back to you when they're through." He said, nodding his head as he excused himself.

Aiden closed his eyes, pacing back and forth as the entire situation played on repeat in his head.

* * *

 _The moment Shane's fist made contact with Antonia's head, she fell back against Aiden. Her body was limp as she landed in his arms. "Shit!" Shane spat as he lifted his fist again. Aiden held Antonia with one arm, and grabbed for Shane's arm, as he struggled against his hold. "Let go of me, you son of a bitch!" Shane exclaimed as suddenly, the weight of Antonia was lifted, as she pushed herself off Aiden's arm and ran at full speed toward Shane._

 _"Tex, no!" Aiden shouted as her body slammed into Shane, sending him smashing into the railing as they both toppled to the ground. She gripped him tightly as she started to shake him violently. Suddenly, he rolled, trying desperately to get her off him, and as Aiden reached for them both, they tumbled down the brownstone stairs, her head ducking as they rolled, and she landed on top of him._

 _"You son of a bitch! Who do you think you are?" she screamed, slamming the heel of her hand into him again and again. "Is this how you treated my sister? You goddamned piece of shit! How do you like it? Huh? How do you like it!?" She screamed as she punched him again and again, as Aiden tried to pull her off. Her head was pounding, her speech was slurred, and she wasn't even sure of what she was saying anymore as she screamed and continue to attack him beneath her. "She's my baby sister, you sick asshole!" She screamed._

 _"Tex, please!" Aiden exclaimed as he tried to pull her off of him, but she punched with one hand, and held his coat tightly with the other, continuing her verbal assault as well._

 _Suddenly, she felt someone literally lifting her off Shane, and her hands being pulled behind her back as the officer handcuffed her. She wanted to struggle, wanted to keep fighting back, but it was then that she saw the blue and red colored lights, and the chaos around her as Aiden struggled to get them to listen to him. Her head was pounding and her ears were ringing as she called to him, her voice hoarse from screaming at Shane, but her eyes were filled with fear._

 _"Aiden, please!" She sobbed. "It's not my fault! Stop!" She shouted as they pulled her away from him._

 _"I'll get Grace!" Aiden exclaimed. "I'll meet you at the police station, Tex. I'll be there." He said, as one of the police officers pushed him aside as they lifted her and brought her to the cruiser. One of the officers started asking Aiden questions, and he answered them quickly, rushed as he watched the cruiser leave. The door to the apartment opened and Grace stepped out, as Shane was lifted from the ground and cuffed. She and Aiden started giving their statements, as Shane was also brought to a patrol car. Once the officers were through with the statements, they left with Shane in the other cruiser, leaving Grace and Aiden standing on the porch alone. She closed the door to her apartment, grabbed his hand, and dragged his still stunned self to his car to get them to the police station._

* * *

Temperance knocked lightly on the bathroom door, listening for movement, she waited. "Girls." She said softly. It took but a moment as the door opened, and Grace's face appeared.

"Mom." She said softly, allowing Temperance to enter.

Temperance entered the room to find Antonia sitting on the floor against the wall by the toilet, a bag of ice against her face as she moved her head to look toward her mother. "Oh sweetheart." Temperance said, kneeling down beside Antonia, she carefully pulled the ice pack away from her eye. "Oh, baby."

"You should see the other guy." She muttered, glancing to Grace, who shook her head with a slight smile. "What are you doing here?" She whimpered. "I don't feel good."

"I know, baby." Temperance said, taking the wet washcloth that Grace was using to wipe the blood from her sister's face. She carefully looked at the injury, her eyes avoiding the dark pools that looked back at her, as she tenderly washed her daughter's face. "Nothing appears to be broken, how is your vision?"

"Blurry." She mumbled. "I really don't feel good. Where is Aiden, is he okay?" She asked, looking up at her mother, she winced.

"He's very shaken up, sweetheart. He's waiting for you."

"He's going to change your nickname to pitbull." Grace said, watching Antonia look to her without moving her head. "That's what he told me in the car."

"No." She whimpered.

"Did you try to stand her up?" Temperance asked Grace.

"No." She said, shaking her head. "This is the first time her head has been out of the toilet."

"Hey." Antonia mumbled.

"Sorry." Grace said, looking to Temperance, she shrugged. "Do you want to try to stand her up?"

Temperance nodded her head and stepped to her daughter's side, as Grace stepped to the other side. They carefully held her arms as they both lifted carefully. Antonia let out a groaning whine as she stood, leaning against the wall. "Tell the room to stop spinning." She whimpered, closing her eyes.

They gave her a moment and she sighed, keeping her eyes closed tightly. "Are you okay?" Grace whispered.

"I think so." Antonia whispered back.

"Ant?" Grace said softly, getting a side glance from her sister as she tried to focus on her.

"I know this isn't really a good time, but… would you be my maid of honor?" Grace asked.

"Grace!" Temperance scolded softly.

"Oh god!" Antonia whined. "Are you serious? I can barely stand up, and you're asking me about your wedding?" Antonia let out a laugh. "I swear as soon as I'm not seeing double, and can figure out which one of you is the real one, you're next." She said, as all three of them let out a laugh. "But yeah." Antonia said with a sigh. "I'd be honored." She said softly.

"Okay, let's get you out of here." Temperance said, watching Antonia take a step or two. "Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah." She said, squinting at her mother. "I think I'm going to have to take a sick day tomorrow." She said, watching Temperance shake her head with a laugh. "I might be able to come in later in the day." She mumbled.

"Antonia, will you please focus on moving your legs, and not your long term plans on making it to the lab tomorrow?" Grace said, lifting her eyebrow.

"Oh, right." She said, as they made their way out of the restroom into the hallway. They stepped down toward the conference room. Grace walking beside her, as Temperance still kept a firm hold on her arm. As they turned the corner of the room, both Booth and Aiden's attention were on the three women. Booth took a step forward, but before he could say a word, Antonia released her mother's arm and pushed right into Aiden's arms, her head burying in his chest as she started to cry.

Booth stood for a moment, his eyes clashing with Temperance's as she gave him a slight smile, her eyes flicking to the couple and back to her husband. He looked lost, and a little confused when suddenly Grace wrapped her arms around him tightly. He held her in his arms and kissed her head, his eyes moving to Antonia, as Aiden held her tightly in his arms, whispering to her gently as he closed his eyes and let her cry.


	17. Complicate

Once Antonia had calmed, and everyone left the police station, it was nearly three in the morning. Booth and Temperance brought Grace home with them, while Aiden managed to get Antonia into his car with minimal issue. She was still incredibly dizzy, and her vision was blurry, but being exhausted wasn't helping how she was feeling. He asked her multiple times if she wanted to go to the emergency room, but she declined, saying that it was just a bruise, and she'd be fine. Temperance reluctantly agreed with her, though it was obvious that she was hesitant to let her out of her sight, Aiden reassured her that he'd take good care of her, not missing for a moment the glare from Booth.

Antonia sat in the passenger seat, her eyes closed as he drove through the streets toward his apartment, as exhaustion tugged at him. "Aiden." She said suddenly, jarring him to attention as he glanced to her.

"Please don't tell me that you're going to be sick." He said, turning down the next road he watched her turn her head and smile.

"No." she said, smiling sleepily over at him. "I just... I love you." she mumbled.

"I love you." He said, reaching over the center console, he put his hand in hers.

"Also, I just want you to know that I don't like being handcuffed, can we agree to not do that again?" she said, scowling.

"Okay, no handcuffs." He said, nodding his head, he pulled down his road, and slowly parked the car in front of his building. He looked over at her, and smiled at her as she watched him for a moment. "We're home, Tex."

"I don't feel well." She whispered.

"I know." He said, getting out of the car. He walked around to her side and opened the door, watching as she looked over at him with a pout. The bruising on her face had gotten darker, and the swelling was much more pronounced. He knew that her head had to be pounding, and that her vision was impaired. "I'm proud of you." He said, watching as she pouted a little more, sighing.

"For what?"

"Well, for not killing the guy, for one." He said, watching as she smirked. "I, for one, don't want to have to rely on conjugal visits when you end up in the clink."

"Oh, I'd break out of prison." She said, unbuckling her seatbelt, she took his offered hand and pulled herself from the car. "You'd help me break out."

"Oh, I would, would I?" he asked playfully, walking with her as he kicked the car door closed, and locked it with the remote.

"You would." She said, leaning her head against him, she let out a whimper. "Right?" she asked, closing her eyes as she let him lead her up the stairs toward the apartment. He unlocked the door and walked inside with her. Once inside, he helped her take her coat off. She turned and held his shoulders, looking down as she pulled her shoes off, she lifted her head and looked into his eyes. "Aiden, thank you for a lovely evening." She said with a smile.

"Tex." He said, shaking his head, she tilted hers and sighed.

"I mean before all of this other stuff… I had a wonderful first real Valentine's day." She said sincerely. "Thank you."

"Only the best for my girl." He said, leaning forward to kiss her tenderly, he watched as she winced. "Let's get you to bed." He said, watching her smile slyly. "What?" He asked, watching her tilt her head.

"I want that shirt." She whispered, tugging at the blue button-down shirt he was wearing.

"You want the shirt I'm wearing?" He laughed lightly at her nod. "You literally want me to give you the shirt off my back?"

"Mmhm…" she nodded.

"Okay, let's see what we can do." He said, taking her arm as they walked toward the bedroom together.

* * *

 **February 15- 7:00am-**

The morning light trickled in through the curtains, and Aiden rolled over to find that the spot beside him empty. He sat up slightly, listening carefully, and he heard the sound of the shower running. He shook his head and sighed, standing up carefully, he left the room and lightly walked down the hallway toward the kitchen. Coffee had already been made, and it looked like she had already had a cup, as it was sitting on the edge of the counter.

He turned around when he heard her feet slapping on the hardwood floor, her body was wrapped in his bathrobe, her hair covered by a towel. The left side of her face was purple, her eye nearly swollen shut, and she had a slight scowl on her face when she entered the room, but it disappeared when she saw him. He said nothing of the bruise, trying not to make her feel self conscious, though she was keenly aware of it, and turned her head slightly.

"I thought you weren't going in today." He said, watching her stand with her eyes on the coffee pot for a second, and back to him.

"I need you to take me to my place." She said softly. "If you don't mind."

"Of course, I don't mind." He said, walking toward her, he let his thumb lightly run over her forehead, looking into her eyes. "Did you want to put more ice on it?"

"There isn't enough ice in this world." She mumbled. "I need some Tylenol." She said softly. "And maybe a paper bag."

He shook his head at her comment and turned. "How is your vision?" He asked, walking over to the cupboard, he pulled down a bottle and opened it for her. He dropped two pills into her hand, and watched as she shrugged.

"Well, there aren't two of you anymore, so… that's kind of disappointing." She smiled slyly, watching him give her a playful glare, she sipped from her cup of coffee and took the medication.

"Cute, real cute." He said, kissing her temple as he passed her. "I have to go take a shower, and we'll get this day started." He said, watching her eyes follow him for a moment, he gave her a slightly apologetic look.

"Don't give me that look, Fitzgerald. It's not your fault."

"Well, it feels like it was my fault." He said, disappearing down the hallway quickly.

Antonia sipped at her coffee and sighed, looking out the window onto the street as she just tried to ward off the throbbing in her head. Suddenly, the phone on the counter started to blare, and Antonia reached over and picked it up. "Agent Fitzgerald's phone." She said quickly, sipping from her coffee, there was a long pause. "Hello?"

"Um, is Aiden available?" A younger woman's voice came through the line, and Antonia furrowed her brow, glancing to the closed door of the bathroom. The water wasn't running yet, so she took a moment's pause.

"Um, just a second please, he's in the shower." She said, walking to the bathroom door, she knocked.

He opened the door a crack, looking out at her with a smile. He hadn't undressed yet. "Did you want to join me?" he asked, suddenly noticing the perplexed look on her face. "What's wrong."

"Phone." She said, holding up his cell phone, he scrunched his nose and grabbed it.

"Fitzgerald." He said, his voice a bit gruff, perhaps making up for his embarrassment. "Uh, oh… hey." He said, his hand going to his neck as he turned away from Antonia and walked into the bathroom.

Antonia stood in the hallway, hearing his voice as he spoke, she walked down the hallway to the bedroom and started to get dressed quickly. She tossed the bathrobe on the bed, pulling her hair from the towel as she quickly put her clothes on from the day before. She was just putting her second sock on, as she looked up at Aiden standing in front of her. Apparently, he had been standing there for a couple of moments saying her name, and she hadn't noticed. "Antonia?" he said again, finally catching her attention as he crouched in front of her. He was still wearing his sweatpants, no shirt, his eyes showing a deep concern. He very well could have said something else, but she didn't hear much over the sound of her own heartbeat in her ears, and the throbbing headache.

"What?" She said, somewhat sharply.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She said, looking into his eyes, she had no idea why she was reacting this way. She just felt like she needed to get out of his apartment. "I'm just getting ready, who was that on the phone?" she asked.

"Nobody, don't worry about it." He said, though his eyes held a bit of concern.

"I have to go, now." She stated shortly.

"I'll take you home, it's okay. Let me go take a shower, and then we can go."

"I can take a cab, don't worry about it." She said, standing up, she nearly ran into him as she walked around him. He reached for her, and she pulled away from him. "I have to go." She whispered.

"Tex." He called, as she disappeared out of the room. He grabbed a t-shirt and pulled it on as he followed after her, but she had already left out of the door of his apartment. He opened the apartment door to just see her leave the building. "Tex, stop!" he said, climbing down the steps barefoot, he stepped out onto the street, his feet slapping against the frozen sidewalk as he chased after her. She was quick, almost too quick as he finally reached her and instead of grabbing for her, he ran in front of her, allowing her to slam herself right into him.

"Aiden, what the hell?" she exclaimed.

"Where are you going?" he asked, watching as she glared at him, taking a step back.

"Home." She said, scowling at him. "I'm going home. I don't have my phone, so I can't call a cab, so I just figured I'll walk. It's fine."

"I live ten miles from your place, your hair is still wet, and it is below freezing out here. You're not walking." He said, taking her hand. "What has gotten into you?"

She stared at his eyes for a moment and took a breath slowly into her nose, her eyes traveling down his disheveled form. "You're in your pajamas." She said, noticing his feet. "Aiden, where are your shoes?"

"You're too quick. I didn't have time to put them on… can we please go back to the apartment now?" he asked. "Please?"

"Are you going to tell me who was on the phone?" she asked, tightening her jaw, her eyes sharply on his.

"Yes. I'll tell you." He said, sighing. "Will you please come back to the apartment with me?" he said, shifting from foot to foot as he felt them starting to cramp from the cold. "Please?"

"Fine." She said, turning around, he grabbed for her hand, but she waved it off, walking back toward the apartment as he followed after.


	18. Miss Understanding

Once they reached the apartment, and Aiden closed the door behind him, he walked past her and toward the bathroom. "Hey, where are you going?" She asked, watching as he turned around and looked at her. His eyes were dark and full of irritation, and his jaw was clenched.

"I'm going to go take my shower. I'll be out in a few minutes." He said. His voice was a bit short, and she was taken aback by his sudden hostility. "Don't leave." He said, punctuating the words with his finger, watching as she gave him an irritated glare.

"You said that you were going to tell me." She said, taking a step forward, he stopped his retreat and watched her for a moment.

"I'd appreciate your patience." He said, watching her tilt her head. "Do you trust me?" he asked, the tone of his voice was challenging, and his eyebrow lifted.

"Yes." She said, watching as she scowled. "I trust you."

"Saying it, and actually trusting me are two completely different things." He said. "It's fine if you don't trust me, but you can at least be honest with me."

"I trust you!"

"Then why did you take off?" He asked, taking a step toward her, he watched as she took a step back. "I gave you no indication that I wasn't going to continue the conversation about the phone call. You just assumed, and tried to run. Yes, it was a personal call, and no, you don't know everything about me." He said. "But you can't just run like that when you don't have all of the facts, you shouldn't run if you trust me. Also, I don't appreciate being held hostage."

Her jaw dropped slightly, and her eyes narrowed. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She said angrily.

"You telling me that you're going to leave unless I tell you something? I'm not playing that game, Antonia. If you want to know something, you ask me straight out. If you don't get the answer you want, then I'd appreciate you telling me that, not taking off, especially into the cold when you live ten miles away. Don't you dare put yourself in danger because you're angry with me. If you want more answers, you ask me for more answers! Trust that I will tell you what you need to know, you have to trust me!"

"I do trust you!" She exclaimed, watching as he turned toward the bathroom. "Aiden, please."

"No." he said, shaking his head. "Not now." He said, walking into the bathroom. "Don't leave!" He said, slamming the door behind him.

She watched him slam the door, and glared in his general direction as she listened to the water run from the shower. She couldn't relax, hearing his voice in her head as he scolded her as if she were a child. She started to pace the floor, walking back and forth angrily as she refused to take off her coat and shoes. She considered leaving just to be spiteful, but knew that he'd be even angrier if she did that, so she just sulked and angrily paced the floor.

After about ten minutes, he came out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist, and walked directly into the bedroom without saying a word to her, or even looking in her direction. "Aiden." She said, walking toward the bedroom, she waited for his response, which didn't come. "Aiden?" she called.

He was dressed when he walked out of the bedroom after a few minutes, tying his tie as he carried his jacket on his arm. "Are you ready to go?" he asked, watching as she turned to glare at him.

"Yeah." She said, refusing to say more she headed toward the door as she looked at the floor as she walked. "Can I have my phone back?" She asked, turning sharply, he nearly ran into her.

"Yeah, sure." He said, reaching into his coat pocket, he handed her the broken phone, and then pulled his coat on.

"Thank you." She said softly, then walked out the door and down the steps toward the car. He locked up the apartment and followed her down toward the car, watching as she stood by the passenger door, her eyes downcast. He walked up to her and reached for her hand, which she let him take, her eyes lifting to his.

"I understand that you have issues about trusting people, okay? I understand that you may have been a little spooked by a woman calling me in the morning, and I understand that you and I have never really had a good solid conversation about me, and my past. But you can't just jump to conclusions. You can't just walk away. If you're in this, you have to be all in, do you understand? I need you to talk to me. If something bothers you, you need to say it bothers you, you can't just turn and walk away. I need you to trust me. Because if you can't trust me, then we can't do this, Antonia. We can't be partners, and we can't be together if you can't trust me. If you can't trust me, you have to tell me." He said, watching her eyes lift to his. She looked to be in so much pain, and it was breaking his heart to see the bruises on her face, the sadness in her eyes.

"I want to trust you." She whispered.

"It's not the same." He said, turning around, he walked around the car, and unlocked the doors, he watched her from over the hood as she reached for the handle and paused. After a moment, she yanked on the handle and opened the door, climbing inside. He got in, and he watched as she buckled her seatbelt, her eyes downcast as she avoided looking at him.

He buckled up and started the car, driving them silently toward her apartment. She stared out the window at the passing scenery as the silence in the car seemed to become almost unbearable. She sighed lightly and tipped her head back, letting out a slight whine.

"How is your headache?" He asked, his voice less harsh. He genuinely cared for her and her health, and worried about her.

"A little better." She muttered softly.

"Good." He said, reaching his hand over, he touched her hand, and she looked over at him. She seemed confused by his sudden change of tone. She said nothing to him about it, but let him hold her hand, though she kept quiet.

He drove them through the streets, pulling up to her apartment building, he held her hand tightly until they reached the apartment. She flicked off her seatbelt and reached for the door. "Hey." He said touching her arm, watching her head snap in his direction.

"What?" she said, scowling at him.

"The woman on the phone was my sister in law." He said, watching as she breathed heavily through her nose, her brow still furrowed. "My brother's widow, actually." He said, closing his eyes. "Liam died about four years ago. I have a niece, she's five… and sometimes Anna calls me to talk to her when she has a nightmare." He said, opening his eyes to see Antonia watching him intensely. "When I was in Chicago, I was the go to for that kind of thing, and she is having a rough time with the transition." He said softly. "I'm sorry I didn't just tell you." He said. "I understand, trust is a two-way street, and I'll try to be more forthright with things, okay?"

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"No." he shook his head. "You didn't know, and that's the point. We don't really know one another that well, we're still learning. I'm sorry that I was a jerk earlier."

"You weren't a jerk." She shook her head. "I deserved it. I reacted poorly, and I am sorry." She said, breaking eye contact, he reached over and touched her chin, her head turned, and she looked back at him. "I have been told that I can be a bit stubborn."

"A bit stubborn?" he asked, a smile on his face as he watched her glare. "I love you, all of you."

"I love you, Aiden. I trust you." She said, taking a slow, deep breath.

Suddenly, their moment was interrupted by the sound of Aiden's phone. He rolled his eyes and sighed, grabbing it from the cup holder, he looked at the number. "It's your dad." He said, lifting the phone to his ear. "Fitzgerald." He said. Antonia could hear her father's voice over the line, and he sounded extremely agitated. "Uh, yes sir. I brought the files to the lab last night, and I have the list there. Sorry sir. I will pick them up. Yes sir." He rolled his eyes at Antonia and watched her smile. "Antonia is at her apartment, sir. Her phone is broken, but she is well."

Antonia held her hand out to Aiden, and he handed her the phone. Booth continued his tirade over the line for a couple more moments. "Hey Dad." Antonia said, glancing to Aiden, she rolled her eyes as well as Booth calmed. "I'm fine, just a headache. I won't be in today. I love you too. Dad?" she said, waiting for his response. "Please be nice to Aiden. Okay, be safe, I love you." She said, pushing the button to hang up the phone. She looked to Aiden and scrunched her nose. "Don't mind him, he can be a little cranky in the morning, especially after he had to go pick his daughters up from the police station." She handed his phone back.

"I understand." He said, smiling across at her, he watched as she smiled back. "Are we okay?"

"I think so." She said, nodding. "I will have to go out and get this fixed at some point today." She said, holding her broken phone up. "Want to meet at the diner at noon?"

"Sounds good." He said, smiling over at her. "Don't get into any trouble, okay?"

"I will try not to." She said, leaning across, she rested her forehead on his. "I love you."

"I love you, Tex." He said, kissing her lips softly, she smiled and touched his cheek with her hand, closing her eyes. "See you later."

"Later." She said, climbing from the car, she walked to the steps of her apartment, and waved as she disappeared inside. Aiden sighed and smiled, as he slowly made his way to the lab to pick up his paperwork.


	19. Goodnight, Gracie

**February 15** **th** **10:30am**

Antonia was sitting on the rocking chair in her apartment, her eyes were on the medical journal in front of her, but she kept nodding off, jerking herself awake with a snort as she finally just tossed the journal onto the floor. She let out a sigh, tipping her head back, as a quick knock on the door almost made her jump. She stood up, looking down at the sweatpants and t-shirt she had changed into when she had gotten home, and shuffled toward the door just as someone rapped on it again. "Hang on, hang on." She mumbled, looking out the peep hole, she could see the dark blue of a police uniform. She opened the door a crack and looked out with her good eye. "What do you want?" she mumbled.

"Welfare check." Grace said, smiling brightly as she watched her sister's eye narrow. Antonia closed the door on her sister. "Come on, Ant. Open up."

Antonia slid the slide lock off the door and opened it again, looking out at her fully uniformed sister as she shook her head. "Dad sent you here, didn't he?"

"Actually, no. It was Mom." She said, stepping into the apartment.

"You can't come in here without a warrant." Antonia teased, watching as Grace walked around her and turned as Antonia closed the door, finally getting a good look at her sister in the light of day. She stared at the dark purple bruise on her sister's eye and cheek, and made a face. "Can you please stop looking at me like that?"

"He really hit you hard." Grace said. "Dad said that Aiden should have been the one that got punched." She said, leaning in to touch the bruise.

"What?" Antonia asked, flinching away from her sister, she turned and sat down in her rocking chair, looking up as Grace walked around the apartment.

"Nothing." Grace shrugged. She looked around and crossed her arms. "Are you serious, Ant?"

"What?" She said, looking up at Grace, she watched as her sister walked around the room.

The apartment was sparsely decorated, with nothing on the walls. There was minimal furniture, and most of corners were filled with unopened boxes. "How long have you lived here?"

"I don't know, a year and a half." She shrugged.

"You've lived here a year and a half, and you haven't even unpacked? Are you kidding?"

"I unpacked!" Antonia said, looking toward the kitchen. "See, I took those plates out of one of the boxes."

"Two plates. You unpacked two plates and two forks." Grace said, flicking one of the forks into the sink.

"Well yeah, when the first one was dirty, I used the second one. Grace, I live here alone, and I'm rarely here. The only thing in the refrigerator is a wrinkly old apple, that I'm pretty sure was here when I moved in. I'm either at the lab, at Mom and Dad's, or sleeping."

"Sleeping at Aiden's." Grace said, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Don't you have somewhere you have to be? Like… I don't know, making sure your desk doesn't fly away." Antonia snapped, watching Grace glare at her. "Sorry, I've had a bad few days." She muttered.

"So what does Aiden think of your unpacked apartment?"

"He's never been up here." Antonia said, walking toward her bedroom, she turned and made her way back toward the rocking chair and sat down. "I don't have a television, my couch is literally a beanbag chair and an ottoman, and my bed is a twin. Maybe you're right, maybe I am destined to live alone." She shrugged. "I should look into an apartment that allows cats."

"I'm going to give you a second black eye." Grace said, lifting an eyebrow. "What's up with you anyway?" Grace said, sitting down on the ottoman, she watched her sister sigh. "I thought everything was going well with you and Fitz."

"I don't know." Antonia said with a shrug. "Something feels off."

"Maybe it's because you haven't been in a serious relationship in… ever." Grace shrugged, watching her sister shrug as she stared off across her apartment.

"So, this morning, a woman called him."

"Wait, what?" Grace said, shaking her head.

"At first, he said it was nobody, and not to worry about it." Antonia said, watching Grace shake her head. "Right, that's what I thought. So, after we get into this big stupid… I don't know. All I know, is that I had a headache, and I don't have any idea what was going on. I was literally punched in the head five hours earlier, and I just… I wanted to come home. He thinks I don't trust him, and I'm telling him I do, and he's… ugh."

"Well, you shouldn't trust him. A woman calling him, and he's saying it's nobody. Psh…" Grace said, rolling her eyes.

"He said that it was his sister in law." Antonia shrugged.

"Bullshit." Grace said, catching her sister's eye. "What? I don't really know, but maybe it is bullshit."

"I don't have a reason to not believe him."

"Because he said it was nobody first, Antonia." Grace said, shaking her head. "He could have made up the whole sister in law thing. Why would his sister in law call him in the morning?"

"He said it was because his niece had a bad dream." She said, glancing to Grace.

"Um, so the mom can't handle a little nightmare? She has to call uncle Aiden? Where is his brother?" Grace asked, making an incredulous sound. "It all sounds fishy."

"He said his brother died, that he's helped with his niece before." Antonia sighed, tipping her head back, "But thanks for making me feel better about all of this." Antonia said sarcastically.

"Ant, I just got out of a pretty nasty relationship with a guy who was literally cheating on me when I was shot in the arm. Aiden is sweet and sincere, and seems like the real deal, but he's not perfect, nobody is. If you don't feel comfortable asking him more questions about it…" She shrugged.

"What?" Ant asked.

"Use other sources." Grace shrugged. "If you want to know, do some research."

"You think I should spy on him?" Antonia asked. "We just had an argument about trusting one another this morning. Maybe I should just leave it alone."

"No." Grace said, "You should dig. He's from a different state, with different contacts. Nobody is going to find out that you're digging. Start with the brother. If his brother is dead, then there's bound to be an obituary or something out there. It doesn't hurt to do a little research, Ant."

"I tend to go a little overboard on research, it's probably not a good idea. I think Jack's conspiracy theorist tendencies are rubbing off on you." Ant watched Grace for a moment as her sister shook her head at her.

Suddenly, Grace's phone started to ring, and she smiled as she lifted it to her ear. "Booth." She said into the line, glancing at her sister's smirk. "Oh, hey Mom. Yeah, she's here." Grace handed her phone over to Antonia.

"I'm fine, Mom." Antonia said, smiling a bit at her mother's concern.

"When do you plan on getting your phone fixed so that I don't have to send out a search party to find you?" Temperance asked, listening to her daughter's laugh.

"I was hoping to get it replaced today."

"I will pick you up in an hour." Temperance said. "We will get your new phone, and we will have lunch." She said, leaving no room for argument.

"Okay." Antonia said, feeling a sense of relief wash over her at her mother's insistence. "Okay, Mom, that sounds good."

"Now tell your sister to go back to work so that you can get ready." Temperance said, smiling through the line. "I love you."

"I love you, Mom. See you in an hour." Antonia said, hanging up the phone. She smiled at Grace. "I was supposed to meet Aiden for lunch, but I just got a better offer."

"Ugh, lunch with Mom is the best, not fair." Grace said with a smile, reaching for her phone, Ant held her finger up and dialed a number.

She glanced to Grace and smiled. "Hey, Aiden. Yeah, Grace came over to check on me. I'm going to have to cancel on our lunch plans. Mom wanted to take me out, if you don't mind." She said, watching Grace roll her eyes, she stuck her tongue out at her. "Right, see you later." She said, ending the call. "Apparently he was going to have to cancel anyway. I guess Dad and Ace are kind of being hard asses."

"Serves him right." Grace said, standing up. "Well, I should go. I have a desk that will fly away without me if I don't pile it up with paperwork."

"I should have gone into the lab today." Antonia mumbled.

"Oh, shut up, and enjoy your day off." Grace said, moving toward the door. "I'll see you later. I'm really sorry about last night, all of it."

"It's fine." Antonia shrugged, leaning over to give her sister a hug. "Thanks for holding my hair while I threw up."

"One of the many reasons that it's good to have a sister." Grace said. "Enjoy your lunch with Mom." She said, pulling from the hug.

"Oh, I intend on it." Antonia replied, smiling at her sister as she opened the door.

"And at least look up the brother thing, Ant. You don't have to launch an investigation, but you can at least use a search engine." Grace shrugged.

"Get out of my apartment." Antonia said, giving her sister a playful shove into the hallway.

"I'm just saying."

"Say goodnight, Gracie." Antonia said, laughing as she slammed the door in her sister's face.


	20. Mother's Intuition

Antonia was expecting her mother any minute, and sat for a moment on the edge of her bed with her laptop on her legs, glancing out the window. She stared at the cursor on the screen, blinking in the search box of the search engine she had pulled up. She thought about what her sister had said, her eyes focusing on the blinking cursor for several moments. She set her jaw and sighed, feeling a sense of anxiety at the pit of her stomach as she lifted her finger to start typing. Her eyes closed and she closed her laptop quickly, tossing it onto her bed. "Thank you Grace, for your insightful, anxiety inducing, absolutely baseless assumptions and opinions." She looked outside and saw her mother pulling up to the curb. "Thank God." She said, grabbing her coat, she glared back at her laptop, and pulled her coat on, as she made her way out of the apartment and down the steps to her mother's waiting car.

She climbed into the passenger seat, and smiled across at her mother. "Hey." She said, watching as Temperance took a long look at her daughter as she buckled her seatbelt. "What?"

"You look upset." Temperance said, watching as Antonia shook her head and smiled. "Well, we'll talk at lunch." She said, putting the car into drive, "First we'll drop off your phone." She said, moving out into traffic.

* * *

Aiden sat in the backseat of Ace's SUV as they drove toward a location that they were given. There had been a call about a body, and since it was in the general location of where the first crime scene they were working on, they decided to secure the scene before calling in the Jeffersonian team. Booth was aware that Temperance was taking Antonia to lunch, and he was still feeling a little slighted by her from the night before. He was starting to feel a little bad for how he was treating Aiden, but figured it was all part of the ritual of being a rookie agent, and for a little added bonus, his daughter's boyfriend.

"So, this body is where in relation to the first one?" Aiden asked from the back seat, watching as Ace and Booth exchanged a glance. "Guys?"

"It's about a half mile away, along the same stretch of road, different underpass." Ace said quickly.

"And it's a stabbing, right? Do we think it's the same guy? Who found the body? Were there any witnesses?" Aiden asked quickly, as Booth and Ace again looked at one another.

"Yes, it's a stabbing, and you know we can't do anything, or say anything about it until they get the body to the lab. As for witnesses, someone called it in, so we at least have someone who found the body, but we don't know much more, which is why we're going there. So why don't we just enjoy the rest of the car ride in a little bit of peace and quiet?" Booth asked, glancing back to the younger agent in the back seat. Aiden could see the look in Booth's eyes, and while they reminded him of Antonia, they also made him quite a bit nervous.

* * *

They had made a quick run to the store to drop off Antonia's old phone for the data to be transferred to a new one, and quickly were back on the road toward their lunch spot. Each of the girls had their own special lunch place that Temperance would take them to on occasion, a little fancy respite from the typical burgers, fries, and salads that the diner offered. Neither sister knew where the other's place was, and even Booth hadn't a clue where they would go on their lunch adventures. It was a small secret between mother and daughter that always made them feel special and unique.

Antonia's favorite place was a small bistro on the outskirts of the city. They had hand pressed sandwiches, and fresh salads, as well as a freshly made strawberry lemonade in the summer, and in the winter, they were ready with their homemade hot cocoa with fresh whipped topping. Antonia sat in one of the small tables, tucked in the corner, and her mother sat across from her, setting her bag down on the floor beside her as she took a deep breath and smiled across at Antonia. They had made their orders at the counter, and waited patiently for them to be delivered.

Antonia watched her mother for a moment and her eyes flicked to the window, then back to the inquiring blue eyes that were focused directly on her. "How is your headache?" Temperance asked, looking briefly toward her swollen eye, and then focusing elsewhere.

"It's a very dull throbbing now." Antonia said softly. "I wasn't sick anymore last night."

"Aiden is taking good care of you, I imagine." She said, watching Antonia's eyes flick to the table and back up to her mother.

"Yeah, yes." She nodded. "I mean, when I ask for help, that is." She shrugged. "I mean, I just went home and went to sleep last night."

"To your apartment?" Temperance asked, watching Antonia's eyes flick up to her mother.

"Um, well, no. I stayed at Aiden's last night." She said, feeling a tingle of a blush running up her neck. Her mother sipped from her hot cocoa. "He, you know, wanted to keep an eye on me because of the concussion."

"Mmhm." Temperance nodded. "So why are you upset?" Temperance asked, resting her elbow on the table, she watched Antonia's expression take on many emotions.

"Not upset, exactly." Antonia said, taking a deep breath. "I mean, I don't really know how I feel, because all of the facts aren't in. I have some facts, and then I have things that I don't know if they are facts, and… I don't know if I am jumping to conclusions, or if I'm just being dramatic."

"So basically you're in love." Temperance shrugged.

"Yes." Antonia replied, looking up at the waitress as she placed a sandwich in front of Antonia, and a large salad in front of Temperance. "Thank you." She said to the waitress and looked back at her mother. "But that's not the problem."

"Okay, so what is the problem?" Temperance asked, unwrapping her silverware.

"So, this morning Aiden got a phone call from a woman." Antonia said, watching her mother for a reaction, she found none, and continued. "And, when I asked him about it, he said it was nobody, and not to worry about it."

"Okay." She said, watching Antonia intently.

"And, that's it. That's the problem." Antonia said, watching her mother furrow her brow.

"And you answered the phone?"

"Yes."

"Did he seem concerned that you answered the phone?"

"Um, no. Not particularly." She shrugged.

"And where was Aiden?"

"He was in the bathroom getting ready to take a shower." Antonia said, watching her mother carefully think about the information that she was being told. "I told her that he was in the shower, and then I brought him the phone."

"So you're concerned that this woman is a former lover, or a current lover? Correct?"

"Well, yeah… I guess, maybe. I don't know what I think." Antonia said, taking a big bite from her sandwich, she scowled.

"I know you didn't just leave it at his non-explanation, so what did he say when you confronted him?" She asked curiously, tipping her head as she watched Antonia struggle for words.

"He said that it was his sister in law, that his brother died." She said, sucking in a deep breath, she watched her mother nod. "And that… she sometimes calls him to calm his niece… that he's been the person they depend on to help."

"So you don't accept that explanation?" Temperance asked, watching Antonia stare at her sandwich as she took another bite. She chewed, swallowed, and looked up at her mother.

"I don't like being told that something is nothing when it is clearly something. I am not a child, I do not need to be shielded from his truth, and I don't need to be scolded when I choose to walk away. I want to be told the truth." She said, looking into her mother's eyes. "If he expects me to trust him implicitly, then he needs to trust me with the truth. Telling me that something is nothing, is akin to lying."

"Did you tell him that?"

"No, I…he accused me of not trusting him, and I… I felt helpless." Antonia said, watching her mother's eyes. They held no surprise or concern, only the tender understanding that only a mother could provide. They were not judging or plotting, nor were they filled with a mother's ire for someone who had hurt her child.

"Is this the first argument that you have had?" Temperance asked, taking a bite of salad, she watched Antonia nod. "Well let me tell you, this is by far not going to be your last argument. You've both chosen to be together, to share and love, and hope, and move forward together. Neither of you are under a contractual obligation to reveal all of your secrets, but you're also not going to go anywhere if you don't talk things through. Arguments and disagreements, and secrets are a natural part of the journey of an early relationship. And you can either take it as a secret, or just something that you don't know yet, that he's trying to find a way to explain. You have a past that I can guarantee that he hasn't been told about, does that mean that you're keeping secrets?"

"No. I mean... it's not a secret, it's just... it's a difficult conversation."

"So it's alright to give him a little bit of leeway into his past, as long as he does intend on telling you. There are secrets, and there is betrayal...and there is a very, very thin line between the two of them."

"I know." Antonia sighed. "Which is why when he said it was nobody, I reacted by trying to get out of the situation as fast as possible."

"You do have a habit of walking away from confrontation almost as often as you face it head on. How many times has Aiden asked you a question about your past, and you've brushed him off?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "I probably have."

"Does he walk away from you when you refuse to share?" She asked, watching Antonia think about her mother's questions.

"No." She shook her head.

"Do you think that he's lying about who was on the phone? He wasn't upset that you answered the phone, so I think that's a pretty good indication that whomever it was wouldn't care one way or another if you're in a relationship with him." Temperance said. "You have to look at it from all angles, Ant. Put yourself in his shoes, and understand that everyone does something for a reason, everyone has a motivation, and everything they do has a purpose. Now, I'm not saying that these things are always good motivations, or purposes, but a level headed, sane person would have a reason. Why do you think he said it was nothing at first?"

"I don't know."

"That's not an answer." Temperance said, tapping her fingers on the table. "I don't accept that."

Antonia rolled her eyes. "What I think… and what I fear, and what I believe… they can all be different things."

"Okay, start with what you think."

"I think he told me it was nothing at first, because he didn't want me to worry about it. He wanted to just brush it off like it was something normal, without explanation. I don't work that way, and he should know that."

"Sometimes it takes a few arguments to get that across." Temperance said with a smirk. "And you fear that he was trying to avoid a conversation?"

"Yes." She shrugged. "I fear that something will go wrong, and that it will happen when I least expect it."

"What thoughtful advice did your sister give you?" Temperance asked, lifting an eyebrow as she took another bite of her salad. "Oh, I know you girls talk."

Antonia let out a joyful laugh as she watched her mother's 'give me the dirt' face make an appearance. She shook her head and sipped her hot cocoa. "Well." Antonia said, shaking her head. "She told me to do some investigation into what Aiden has said, about his brother, and his past. I think that's a dangerous road to go down, and I'm not sure that taking secondary sources is a good way to achieve solid evidence."

"Good girl." Temperance replied. "Always go with your primary source. If you want to know something about Aiden, you ask him. You can gauge by reaction, and by response if he's willing to share."

"And if he's not willing to share?" Antonia asked, watching her mother give her a conflicted look.

"Then it's alright to give him time." Temperance said softly, drawing a slow sip from her hot cocoa, she kept her eyes on Antonia's. "Or you nag him until it's out in the open." She winked and listened to Antonia's laugh. "I can assure you, your father has done a thorough background check into Aiden, for both professional and personal reasons. He has probably done his own personal interviewing of him while on the job, and we have all interacted with him. Other than his personal story, which is something that is exactly that, personal, there's nothing in his past that alerts us to him being involved in anything that will hurt you. He was a good student, he had multiple extracurricular activities, he's a good marksman, and he is a polite person. He has all of the qualities of a good and valued partner. And if your reaction last night, when you were injured, were any indication, Antonia… he's a decent and good man."

"My reaction?" She asked, unsure of her mother's meaning.

"You stepped into the room, and I'm pretty sure that you didn't even see your father standing there, and you went right into Aiden's arms. You never even asked about your Dad when I came into the bathroom to check on you, it was all about Aiden, and whether or not he was okay." She could see her daughter's mouth open slightly. "No, no. It's good, it's progress. It's important for you to look for others to comfort you, it's important that you see past the security that we've always provided. I'm happy for you, I'm proud of you."

Antonia sighed, watching her mother's eyes. "I hope Dad wasn't hurt."

"Your father will be just fine. He's a big boy, and will have to eventually realize that his daughters have grown to be remarkable women who will want to go off on their own and have their own lives." Temperance said, smiling at her daughter.

"But you have to deal with him." Antonia teased.

"And that's why we have a fully stocked wine cabinet, secret lunch hideaways, and a lab with doors that he can't get into." She winked across at Antonia. "Also, remember… Aiden has to deal with him too, and he can't even get away. We should consider ourselves lucky." She laughed. Suddenly, her phone started to buzz on the table next to her, as she looked at the number she sighed. "He must have known we were speaking about him." She said, picking up her phone. "Brennan."

"Bones, we need you out here."

"Out where? Booth, you're going to have to be a little more specific."

"I'll text you the exact location, but we have a body, and we don't… really know what to do." Booth stammered a little.

"Are you alright? What happened." Temperance looked up at Antonia, who seemed concerned.

"The body, it's one of your people…was one of your people… an intern. Fitz made the positive ID, but we need you out here, and we need to know what to do. I don't think you're going to want to bring him to the lab, not with the other interns there."

"Who is it, Booth?"

"Alex Gordon."


	21. Minutiae

Temperance said nothing to Antonia about who the victim was, only that they needed to finish their lunch so that she could meet up with Ace and Booth at the crime scene. She watched Antonia gauge the level of concern in her voice, and she knew that something was off about this particular situation. She had asked few questions in the restaurant, and continued questioning her in the car once they were on their way.

"Mom, what did Dad say? Is he okay?"

"He's fine, sweetheart, but you are going to need to stay in the car when we get to the crime scene. We're going to have Agent Fitzgerald bring you back home, and I'll stay with Christopher and your Dad."

"I don't understand. You have extra gear, I can help." Antonia said, watching as Temperance concentrated on the road.

"Not on this one." She said. "Besides, you have concussion, you're not working today." Temperance said, watching as Antonia scowled. "Don't give me that look, you know that I'm correct about this."

"I feel like you're keeping something from me." Antonia said, glancing to her mother. "We just discussed secrets."

"And this is not a secret, it's simply protocol, and you should know by now, that you got that attitude from me, and I will always win." Temperance said, eyeing her daughter as she watched a smirk lift on her face. She pulled down the alley and parked her car behind Ace's, climbing from the seat, she left it running and glanced to Antonia. "Just stay here, please."

"Fine, fine." Antonia said, sighing as she looked out the window, trying to see the three agents who were standing over a scene. "How many FBI agents does it take to screw in a lightbulb..." she mumbled to herself.

Temperance moved to the back of the SUV and pulled her bag and her boots from the rear of the truck, glancing up at Antonia, she watched her curious eyes when she looked back to her. "I'll let you know when I know more, okay?" She said, watching her daughter nod as she closed the back of the SUV.

There were one or two other cars on the scene, a coroner, and an unmarked police officer. She could see her mother approach them and look down at the body, her hand covering her mouth in reaction. Antonia found it odd that her mother would react that way, and she wondered if it was someone that she recognized. Booth looked up toward the car, and Ace did the same, sending a small wave as they said something to one another. Aiden turned and walked toward Temperance's car, his head down as he walked toward her. She glanced out of the window, and noticed that Ace was also walking in their direction. He stepped up alongside the passenger side, as Antonia rolled down the window.

"Hey, kid." Ace said, just as he approached, he got a good look at her black eye and winced. "Holy crap, that's worse than they described it."

Aiden opened the driver's side, and she glanced quickly to him, and back to Ace. "Yeah, yeah. It's a bruise. So what's going on? Who is the victim? Is Mom okay? She looked pretty upset. Is it someone we know?"

"Woah there, little Bones." Ace said watching her glare. "It's… a sensitive case. It looks like the same weapon as the first, but we can't be sure until your mom takes a look." He glanced to Aiden. "Fitz is going to take you home, then get back to the office to finish up on his suspect pool, and Doctor Brennan and I are going to have to go talk to the family of our victim here… once we figure out how to deal with the situation."

"What situation?" Antonia asked, reaching for the door handle, Ace held the door closed.

"No." Ace said, shaking his head. "You can't be on scene."

"Why not? I don't understand."

"Because you're a suspect." Aiden said, watching as she snapped her head in his direction. "You and I are both suspects at this point. I mean, we have extremely good alibis… but we can't be on this case until we're cleared officially." Aiden looked to Ace, who shook his head. "She's going to find out anyway, what does it matter if it's now or later?"

"Will one of you please explain to me what the hell is going on?" Antonia said, again trying to push on the door, only to have Ace block it again.

"Fitz, get her out of here now, tell her whatever you want, but she cannot be on this crime scene." Ace said quickly. "Go." He stepped back from the car, and waved them off.

Antonia turned her head to look at Aiden, who shook his head and started rolling up the window as he started to back out. "Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?" She asked angrily.

"Yes, but we have to at least get on the road first, okay?"

"Fine." She said with a sigh, she glared out at the crime scene as Aiden pulled away.

* * *

Once on the main road, Antonia turned her attention to Aiden, who glanced to her and gave her an anxious, but friendly smile. "It has been an extremely long day." He said softly.

"The day is just as long as it is every day, Aiden." She said, lifting an eyebrow. She heard him scoff at her comment and sighed. "Okay, so who did we supposedly kill?"

"Alex Gordon." He said, watching Antonia's jaw drop slightly. "Found stabbed, just like the other victim."

She glanced back from where they had come from, and then back to Aiden, obviously shaken by the news. "What was he doing out here? Was he stabbed here? What happened?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." He shrugged. "All I know, is that we got a call about the body, we came out here to secure the scene and I recognized him. Your dad said that based on the fact that you and I had been involved in his suspension from the Jeffersonian, that we'd probably be considered suspects. We obviously didn't do it, but it's just a small hiccup, and he wanted to make sure that there were no mistakes." He said, giving her a small smile. "It's just weird. I can't figure out why the hell he would be out here."

"Me either." She said softly, glancing over to Aiden, she gave him a hopeful glance.

"What?" he asked, narrowing his eyes playfully.

"Can you bring me to the lab?" She asked, reaching across to take his hand, she gave it a gentle squeeze. He could feel himself melt under her touch. "Please?"

"If I bring you to your apartment, are you just going to go to the lab anyway?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes, most likely." She smiled. "Also, my car is there. I can go pick up my phone at the store."

Aiden nodded and gave her hand a squeeze, running his thumb gently over her hand. "I can bring you to the lab." He said, watching her for a moment. "I have to go back to the office and work on the case, and your mom will pick up her car there, but if I hear any more on our end, I'll let you know." He said, shrugging. "We'll obviously have to just give our alibi, and since we were both at the lab last night, and there is a crapload of security, we should be in the clear."

"I don't know, Aiden… you said you'd be over in ten minutes, and it took you twenty last night." She teased, watching his jaw drop.

"Hey, I don't have to kill people for you." He said, nodding toward her bruise. "You do a pretty good job defending yourself, if I'm not mistaken."

"I have to say, dinner was very much worth the extra ten minutes." She smiled, leaning her head back on the headrest, she looked over toward him and smiled. "I love you." She whispered.

"I love you, Tex." He said, squeezing her hand again.

They drove in silence for a while until they reached the entrance of the Jeffersonian where Aiden was dropping her off. They each leaned over for a gentle kiss, and he rested his forehead on hers for a moment. "Oh, hey… I have something for you." He said as they leaned back in their seats. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small silver key.

"What's this?"

"It's the key to my apartment." He shrugged. "You know, if you wanted to go over there any time, day or night. I grabbed the extra key this morning, I meant to give it to you then." He watched her stare at it for a moment, and wasn't sure why she just didn't take it. "You… you don't have to take it if you don't want to, I just thought that since we both work late all of the time, that…"

"Thank you." She said, taking the key from his hand, she smiled over at him, then leaned forward to kiss him gently. "I'd return the gesture, but you don't want to see the inside of my sad little apartment. You have a key to the lab… I'm more likely there than anywhere else." She winked. "I'll see you later, Partner." She said, kissing him again.

"See you later, Tex." He said, watching as she climbed from the car and walked toward the doors, turning to wave before she headed into the building.


	22. Back in the Bullpen

**February 15** **th** **– 6:30 PM-**

By the time Booth, Brennan, and Harding had made their way back to the Hoover, it was already well into their evening. They stepped into the bullpen to find Aiden sitting at his desk, working on profiles of suspects that he had pulled from some of the past files of the case. The rest of the bullpen had cleared out nearly an hour earlier, and he sat quietly as he heard the raucous conversation between the two agents and the forensic anthropologist as they moved down the hallway from the elevator. He wondered to himself why they always seemed to move in packs, and smirked to himself.

"What's with the smile, Fitz? Something funny over there?" Booth barked across the room. Aiden didn't miss the sharp elbow to his side from Doctor Brennan, so he said nothing, just watched them approach. "How is it going?"

"It's going well. I have a pretty strong suspect list, we just have to be careful how we approach them. If we interview the wrong one, the rest will scatter." Aiden said, handing over the list to Booth. "So what's going on with our other victim?"

"Well, that's actually a pretty interesting story." Ace said, approaching the agent's desk, he sat on the edge as Booth approached the other side. Aiden looked between the two men on either side of him as they stood with their arms crossed.

"I swear, I had absolutely nothing to do with his death." Aiden said, holding up both hands, he could see that the other two agents were amused.

"Well, I think under the circumstances, if he wasn't dead, you might not exactly be pleased with him." Booth said, looking to Ace, who glanced to Temperance. She gave both men a disapproving head shake.

"What? What do you mean?" He asked, looking between them again, he glanced to Temperance.

"We visited his mother." Temperance said, "To let her know, and perhaps to take a look at his belongings, see if we could determine why he was in that alleyway."

"Did you find out?" Aiden asked, looking between them.

"Oh yeah we did." Ace said, dropping his grin as soon as he made eye contact with Temperance. "Sorry, Doc." He mumbled.

* * *

 _Ace pulled the SUV to the front of a small ranch style home with red shutters and peeling white paint, an old worn Christmas wreath still hanging from the front door. He glanced to Temperance, who sat in the passenger seat and then back to Booth. They were all very quiet, knowing that this job was never an easy one, and even more so when the victim was someone they knew, as well as someone who was so young. They all climbed from the SUV, Booth hanging back as Ace and Temperance approached the front door slowly. They rang the doorbell and waited patiently, as a woman opened the door slowly, her eyes on the man and woman at the door._

 _"Mrs. Gordon?" Temperance said, smiling politely._

 _"Yes?" She said, blocking the doorway still, she looked at Ace with a glare._

 _"Mrs. Gordon, this is Agent Harding with the FBI, and I am Doctor Temperance Brennan."_

 _"Oh, Doctor Brennan, Alexander speaks so highly of you." She said softly, still unsure of the tall agent beside her._

 _"Ma'am, we have some unfortunate news about your son." She said softly._

 _"Alexander? You know where Alexander is?" she asked, opening the door quickly. "He never came home last night from work." She said nervously. "I just figured he was staying late at the Jeffersonian again since he has been working so hard on that murder case."_

* * *

"Wait? So she didn't know he had been suspended?" Aiden asked, straightening in his chair, he watched Booth shake his head. "She thought he was still working on the case?"

"Apparently he was still working on the case." Booth said, handing the suspect list back to Aiden. "He never stopped. He told his mother that he was doing field work for the Jeffersonian, and that Bones here needed him to gather more evidence at the crime scene."

"Which would explain why he was in the alleyway." Ace finished.

"How could he work on the case if he didn't have any of the evidence that we had gathered? He didn't have anything to go by." Aiden asked.

"He knew some of the facts of the case. He wasn't there for the initial identification, but apparently another one of our squints was leaking information to him, because he had some information that we hadn't uncovered until after he had been suspended." Temperance explained.

"Did he have copies of the files in his room?"

"Yep, he did." Ace said, glancing to Temperance. "But that's not all he had."

* * *

 _"Mrs. Gordon, would you mind if my colleagues and I took a look in Alexander's room, it could give us an indication of how far he was into the case. Perhaps we can determine what kind of trouble he got himself into." Temperance asked politely. They declined to tell her of the suspension from the Jeffersonian, in an attempt to not make her son's death any harder on the mother._

 _"Oh, of course." She said, glancing to Agent Harding._

 _"Christopher, can you go get Booth? I'd like his take on this too." She said, smiling to the mother._

 _"Oh, is it Doctor Booth?" The mother asked, glancing at Temperance, she wasn't sure why she had gotten such an odd look. "She and my son were very close. Oh dear, I don't know how she is going to take this." She said, covering her mouth with a concerned look on her face._

 _"Um, no. Agent Booth is one of our FBI Liaisons. Same name, no relation." Temperance lied, trying to make everything just a little easier. "He… he will be right in."_

 _Ace turned on his heel and excused himself, heading out to get Booth. Temperance stood awkwardly as she waited, catching the woman's eye as she smiled politely. After a moment, the door opened and both men stepped inside. "Mrs. Gordon, this is Agent Booth, he works with the FBI on cases that the Jeffersonian is involved in. He will just be assisting me on taking a look around." Temperance explained._

 _"I'm sorry for your loss." Booth said respectfully, nodding as she shook his hand politely._

 _She nodded, and directed the three of them down the hallway toward the room at the end. They stepped inside, and it took every ounce of willpower for them not to gasp when they stepped into the room._

 _One side of the room had a large cork bulletin board that was covered with crime scene photos and scenarios that were written in large block letters, linked with strings and pins. "What the hell is this?" Booth muttered._

 _"It's right out of one of those awful police procedural television shows." Ace said as he walked around the room, following the strings. "How the hell did he get all of this information?"_

 _"I'm not sure." Booth said, glancing to Temperance, who was standing in another corner, her eyes focused on something else. "What do you have there, Bones?" he asked as he stepped over to a small table beside Alex's bed. On the table were several photos of Antonia, photos that she obviously didn't know was being taken. One was of her standing on the platform, her eyes downcast, another was one from across a conference table, and a third was from the crime scene when she was standing beside Aiden and Booth. Aiden's head had been blacked out with a marker. There was another, one that looked like it was from the Jeffersonian newsletter from her hiring to the lab, and several articles about the Jeffersonian. Booth could feel the bottom drop out from his stomach as he swallowed hard. "It's probably a good thing Fitz isn't here."_

 _"I'm not sure that I'm even comfortable being here." Temperance said, her eyes flicking to Booth. "I don't think he was dangerous, but this is…"_

 _Ace stepped over, looking over to see what they were looking at, and grimaced. "Wow."_

 _"Shut up." Booth nudged him as he elbowed him back._

 _"Don't hit me, I was just saying…" Ace mumbled._

 _Temperance turned around and glared at the two of them, shaking her head. "If you two can't behave yourselves, then you can go sit out in the car." She said, taking one more quick look at the items on the bedside table, she moved away quickly._

* * *

"Wait, wait…" Aiden said, shaking his head. "He had a shrine to Antonia in his bedroom? How long has this guy known her?"

Booth let out a laugh. "I told you he'd be jealous."

"I'm not jealous of a dead guy!" Aiden said, glancing to Ace, who was laughing as well.

"Apparently, he told his mother that he and Toni were dating. He never told her that he was suspended, and it looks like one of the other interns was feeding him information since his departure. So basically we have a squint mole." Ace said, shaking his head. "We took pictures of his room, and his mother let us take most of the stuff with us, since it was considered federal property."

"This is just getting worse and worse." Aiden sighed, shaking his head. "Have you talked to Antonia?"

"Not yet." Booth said.

"And you will not, either." Temperance said, pointing her finger at the two of them. "I will speak to her about this, and you two will not say a word to her, do you understand?"

"What about Fitz? You know, you never yell at Fitz." Ace said, watching Temperance glower at him.

"Agent Fitzgerald has a little bit more couth than you two." She said, watching as Ace snickered.

Suddenly, Fitzgerald's phone started to ring, and he picked it up quickly. "Fitzgerald." He said, listening to whoever was on the line, they all noticed the smile on his face as he turned his chair away from them. "Yes, they just got back. Sure thing, here you go. I love you too." He said, as he turned around to see three sets of raised eyebrows. "Antonia wants to speak to Doctor Brennan." He said, handing the phone over to Temperance, she spoke in a hushed tone to Antonia as she walked across the bullpen.

"Did you just tell my daughter that you love her?" Booth asked, watching as Fitzgerald's eyes narrowed in challenge.

"Yes, yes I did…" he said proudly. "And my bedside shrine to her is way bigger than that other guys." He laughed as he caught the pen that Booth playfully threw at him as they waited for Temperance to get off the phone.


	23. Record Time

Once Temperance was through speaking with Antonia, she came back over to the desk and glanced at the three agents for a moment. "I think I'm ready to go home. I have had an extremely exhausting day." She said, watching her husband nod his head. She glanced to Aiden, and he handed over her keys without her even having to ask, and she smiled politely in thanks as she handed back his cell phone. "When will you be leaving, Agent Fitzgerald?"

"I still have a couple more hours of work to do." he said, stretching as he yawned, he caught another pen that Booth tossed in his direction and laughed.

"Will you please leave him alone. You're acting worse than your grandchildren." Temperance said, watching Booth scrunch his face at her and also let out a yawn.

"I think I'm ready to go home too, maybe get something to eat." Booth said, glancing to the younger agent. "You really don't have to stick around, you can get out of here if you want."

"I am still buried with it, I'd prefer to keep working until I find some kind of natural conclusion. I was actually going to take a look at some of the old missing persons reports. The original report from Boone's wife is still in the records room. Most of what I have been looking at is just information on the people he was working with. There may be some details in there that we haven't explored."

"Let the nerd do his work. The more he does, the less we have to do." Ace said, watching as Temperance glared at him. "I'm sorry. I just really think that he's part squint, that's all. It's strange."

"It's strange for an FBI agent to be intelligent, and have a thirst for knowledge?" Temperance asked, glancing between Ace and Booth. "Yes, I can see how that might be true." She said seriously, sending Aiden a wink at his laugh as the other two agents just shook their head. "What's wrong, boys. You can dish it out, but you can't take it?"

Booth shook his head and sighed. "We can go home now." He said, glancing to Aiden, he pointed in his direction. "You're going to have to stop making me look bad."

"I'll try my best, sir." Aiden said, waving to the three of them as they left, giving Aiden the peace and quiet of the office space that he craved when everything seemed so hectic. Aiden set the suspect list down and stood up, glancing at his phone, he picked it up quickly and dialed a now familiar number. It rang once, twice, and she picked up on the third ring.

"Hey, Buddy." Antonia said, smiling into the receiver, she seemed to be in a better mood. "Are you still at the Hoover?"

"Uh, yeah. Are you at the lab?" he asked, glancing down at the papers in front of him, he sat back down in his chair, making himself comfortable.

"I came home." She said, her voice sounding refreshed and calm. "Mom told me about Alex, about what they found. She didn't seem concerned, but said it sounded like he was working on the case. Why would he do that?"

"I'm thinking he was trying to impress you." Aiden said, listening to her soft sigh. "That doesn't make it your fault, Tex."

"I… I know, but it doesn't make me feel less guilty." She said.

"I know, but you know, men will do crazy things to impress a pretty girl."

"I prefer if they stay alive doing it, just for future reference." She said, a smile in her voice.

"Dually noted."

"Mom also said that one of the other interns were giving him information?"

"Yeah, I think Ace and your Dad are going to be doing some questioning tomorrow at the lab. How is your head?" he asked, bringing the conversation back around.

"It's alright, still a slight headache, but I'm feeling well. Is that why you called? To check on me?" she asked with a smile.

"I care about you." He said sincerely. "I am going to be here for a while longer, I want to finish up a few things. I just wanted to let you know. I also wanted to hear your voice."

"You're a true romantic, Agent Fitzgerald." She said, laughing a bit.

"And I get a sense that you're making fun of me just a little bit, Doctor Booth." He said, tipping back in his chair a bit.

"I would never." She teased back. "I will let you get back to work. I love you, and I'll see you later."

"I love you, Tex. Stay out of trouble." He said, listening to her laugh.

"You too." She said, as the call ended.

He tipped his chair forward and stood up, stretching again as he grabbed the keys for the records room off the desk. With a long stride, he made his way down the hallway to the end, turned the corner and continued to the records room. He unlocked the room and stepped inside, a bit overwhelmed with the task ahead of him.

He meandered around the shelves with boxes, as well as many filing cabinets to the approximate location of where Boone's files would be located. He opened a large filing cabinet and quickly began his search. Many of the files had red markings on them, indicating that they were priority cases, as well as a small number of blue markings that indicated that cases were solved. His eyes perused the files and as he flipped through them, one name jumped out at him, making his stomach knot. "Booth/Brennan, Antonia." He muttered to himself. The file was large, marked with a blue tag, as well as one behind it that was Grace's file, and one for Seeley as well. Three children in the same family had been missing. He remembered Antonia's story about Grace and Seeley, but she never said anything about having a missing persons file herself.

He stopped for a minute, his thumb resting beside her name as he felt his heart pounding in his chest. He shook his head and continued looking for William Boone. His eyes kept flicking back to that file as he continued looking. He finally grabbed hold of their victim's file and yanked it out of the drawer so quickly that he almost dropped it on the floor. For some reason, he held the drawer as he tried to recover, and it rolled quickly closed, jamming his finger between the drawer and the cabinet, sending a jolt of pain through his hand. "Son of a…!" he shouted, tossing the file onto the nearby research table, he grabbed his fingers and took a deep breath, trying to control his breathing as the pain rippled up his arm. He swung the drawer open again, and quickly grabbed Antonia's file, letting the pain cloud his anxiety and judgement. He grabbed hold of both files, slammed the drawer closed, and very quickly made his way out of the records room.

* * *

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	24. Hell Hath No Fury

Aiden stepped to his desk and dropped the folders onto the pile of other papers as he took a closer look at his hand. There was a bruise forming across three of his fingers, and he grimaced at the pain as he tried to bend them gingerly. He dropped himself into his chair and pushed the button on his phone to see if he had missed any phone calls or text messages, and then quickly grabbed the William Boone folder from the top of the pile. His eyes glanced to the folder with Antonia's name on it, and he cursed himself internally for even being tempted by it, let alone taking it from the file room. He put another folder on top of it so that it would stop taunting him, and proceeded in looking through the Boone folder.

His fingers throbbed, a constant reminder of what he had done, though he felt better knowing that he was alone and could place the folder back without anyone being the wiser. He flipped through page after page of information on William Boone. There were statements from his wife, from other officers, and a clear knowledge that his missing status couldn't be broadcast over typical means only because he had been undercover, and if he were still undercover, then the announcement of his missing would tip off the people that he was working with of his status as a police officer. It was extremely clear that his status as a missing person was a complicated matter that was not easy to solve. He scanned all of the documents in the folder, taking copious notes on his habits and cases, connecting pieces of his life with his fabricated undercover life.

He stood up and walked to the copier room, swearing to himself at the distance he had to go from his desk to just make a copies. Entering the room, he typed in the code and made several copies of different documents that he would need to show Harding in the morning as they focused their investigation. He rested his head on the wall beside the copier as he listened to the hum of the machine. He looked down at his hand and wiggled his fingers, feeling the pain in his fingertips as he sighed. He stepped forward and pulled the papers from the copier, arranging the originals carefully as he turned around and walked out toward his desk. He was just approaching his desk when he realized that his chair was occupied, and he felt a sharp pang in his chest, and a lump the size of his fist in his throat.

"Tex." he said, a look of surprise on his face, that he hoped didn't convey his complete and total terror of seeing her at his desk. "What are you doing here?" He asked, smiling as he brought the Boone file over toward the desk, he dropped it on top of the other files, hoping that he would be able to cover up his horrible mistake without her ever knowing.

"I brought you dinner." She said, holding up a paper bag, she smiled sweetly at him. She looked rested and relaxed, and though the bruise was so shockingly painful looking, she had a light about her that just seemed to make his heart feel lighter.

"Dinner? You didn't have to bring me dinner." he said, taking the bag, he looked inside and smiled. "Diner burger and fries." he smiled. "Perfect." He leaned forward and gave her a kiss, sitting on the edge of his desk, he set the bag aside. "I'm so happy to see you." he said, sighing softly.

"I figured that Dad was keeping you here late, and I didn't see you much today." she shrugged. "How's the case going?" she asked, looking around him, she noticed he was blocking his desk slightly and she wasn't sure if it was on purpose or not.

"It's going alright, kind of slowly. I took some notes on Boone's missing person's file and stuff, that's why I'm still here." He said, watching her eyes for a moment, she seemed to be scrutinizing him. "What? What's wrong?"

"You seem needlessly nervous." she said, watching him for a moment, his eyes seemed to be very focused on her, and it was almost unnerving how calm he was attempting to be.

"I'm not nervous." he shook his head. "Maybe it's the coffee, I've had a lot of coffee." He shrugged, smiling. He lifted up his empty mug and set it back down. "Did you bring yourself something to eat?" he asked, watching as she shook her head.

"I wasn't very hungry." she shrugged. "Besides, with the shiner, it's best if I don't linger too long, people start to wonder if I am in an abusive relationship or something. It can get really awkward, really quickly." She smiled. "Go ahead, enjoy your dinner, don't worry about me."

"Well, I don't want to eat in front of you." he shrugged. "It's fine, I can just visit with you for a bit, and eat when you go."

"Are you sure you're alright, Aiden?" she asked. She couldn't pinpoint exactly what was off about him, but he just seemed a little jumpy. "Is the Alex thing bothering you?"

"Which part? The part where he continued working on the case to impress you, the part where he was probably trying to figure out a way to snuff me out, or the part where he died? It's kind of bothering me, yeah." He shrugged. "The guy was crazy. He could have hurt you, or me."

"I wouldn't have let him hurt you." She said, standing up, she moved close to him and tugged at his tie a little, leaning in for a tender kiss. "I'd have beaten him up for you."

"You'd have done that for me?" he whispered against her mouth, dropping tiny kisses over her lips, her cheek, her neck. She laughed a little as he tickled her.

"I would have." She said, burying her head in his neck as he wrapped his arms around her. "You should take me home with you." She said, looking up at his eyes, she could still see something within them that unnerved her, but said nothing.

"I'll be out of here in a little while, I just have to clean up a few things, and I can meet you at my place." He said, turning around, he picked up the Boone file, Antonia walked around the desk and reached for the files.

"I can help. Here, give me the files, and I can arrange them so that you can put them away." she said as she reached for the file, noting that he wasn't letting go of them, he shook his head and she smiled, but was confused. "Aiden, it's fine, I can help you with them." Her eyes dropped to the folders, and to his desk, and she immediately loosened her grip.

"Tex, it's fine, I can..." He watched the look on her face twist into a scowl, and he felt his heart pounding against his chest. Her eyes lifted to his, and they were wide as her mouth hung open just slightly. "What? What's wrong?"

"Where did you get this?" she asked, shoving the folder from the top of the large yellowed folder on his desk. She refused to touch it, just stared at the name on the tag, alongside 'Missing'. She had never seen the file, but she knew exactly what it was. "Where the hell did you get that?" she asked him, her voice becoming quite a bit more shrill as she looked up at him and stared directly into his eyes.

"I... I... I wasn't going to look into it, I grabbed it, but I didn't look in it, I don't...I saw it, and…" He watched her eyes focus on him, through him, and felt as if his entire body was on fire as his embarrassment and fears came crashing to the surface. "Antonia, I…"

"No." She shook her head. "No, no. You don't…" She said, breathing heavily as she took a step back. She swallowed hard. "You don't just…" She closed her eyes for a moment as she tried to focus on what she was trying to say. She could feel her stomach wrenching, her heart beating wildly in her chest as her mind raced. "You think that because you are able to, you can just…pry into someone's life?"

"Antonia, I didn't look in the file." He said, trying to keep his voice calm. "I swear to you, I didn't look, I don't know what it's about. I swear."

"But you're curious." She nodded. "You saw my name, and you were curious, so you brought it over here to your desk so that you could what? Look at it? Admire it? Be curious with it closer to you? What is wrong with you? What gives you the right to do this? Who the hell do you think you are?" She said, shooting off questions angrily, she was feeling that fight or flight response as it hummed through her body, pounding off her brain like a bird in a cage with a broken wing.

"No! I was going to put it back! I should have never have removed it from the room. I'm sorry." He said, watching her shake her head.

"Oh, don't be sorry." She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Don't be sorry… this is good, this is really good… let's get this out in the open." She said, grabbing the file from the desk.

"Tex, don't!" He said, watching her eyes dart to his.

"Don't you ever call me that again, do you understand?" She snapped as she turned away from him with the file.

"Antonia, give me the file."

"Oh, what do we have here?" She said, pulling out a pile of photographs. "Crime scene photos…" She said, walking over to an empty desk nearby, she spread the photos out onto the desk like a deck of cards.

Aiden stepped over, refusing to look at the pictures. "Antonia, please. Please stop."

"Look at this one, Aiden." She said, picking one up, she shoved it into his face. "It's my bedroom from when I was a little girl. Look at the blood, isn't that quaint… my favorite stuffed animal ripped to shreds…" She said, picking up another photo. "Look, it's Lola. My nanny… shot to death in the living room. I've never seen this picture… look at that. She had three kids, but because she was my nanny… Bang bang, shot on the floor… and look at the cute little note they left Deuce or Die… you see that? They shot my nanny… put a pillowcase over my head, and left daddy a note to come pick me up… sweet, huh?" She said, shoving the photos in his face. He closed his eyes, but she shoved the picture against his nose. "Open your eyes! Open your eyes and see the reality, Aiden!" She screamed.

"Antonia, stop it!" He said, grabbing the pictures, he reached for the photos on the desk, but she grabbed them.

"Look at this one! Poor little Antonia! Covered in dirt and her Daddy's blood! That one could win a Pulitzer!" She exclaimed as she dropped the photo on the floor. "Oh look, it's Ace and Mom… Where were they when I was kidnapped? Huh? Where were they when my father was getting beaten and kicked and spat on because he would rather put his life on the line then let me get hurt? Why don't you read their statement! Oh look! Statement from Antonia! I mean, as much of a statement that a three year old could give, you know? She said, tossing another paper on the floor as she walked around the desk, keeping her eyes on Aiden as he rounded the desk trying to catch her.

"Antonia, please! Please stop!" He exclaimed, tears in his eyes as he watched her march around the room angrily.

"I was scared, and Deuce climbed over me and held me down while the bad men kicked him. They told me it was MY fault that Deuce was getting hurt. They told me it was my fault that he was crying over me, and because he wouldn't let me go. He squeezed me really tight so they wouldn't hurt me. He kept telling them to get away and to hurt HIM, and not me! Deuce said he wasn't invisible anymore because he wanted to save me! He told them to go away, and we prayed that mommy and Ace would save us!" She said, reading off the paper. She threw the paper onto the floor and slammed photos down on the desk one at a time. They were photos of Booth. Younger and thinner, bare chested as he stood for the photographer. "This is what they did to my father, Aiden! This is what they did to Deuce because of me!" She said, spreading the photos of him out, where he could see the cuts and bruises in the shape of shoes, bruising to the ribs, and ultimately a bandaged gunshot wound. "Except that… that's where Ace shot him… but that's neither here nor there… because you know, the bastards were holding my mother hostage while Dad and Ace had a good old fashioned stand off." She exclaimed.

"Antonia, I swear… just give me the photos… give me the file! Please!" Aiden begged.

"No! You were curious. You're going to know all of it!" She screamed. "Oh, a picture of the meat locker where they kept us! That's a great memory… look at that, now you know why I don't like enclosed spaces… Ambulances took people to jail, because see… they arrested my father and put him in prison for saving his goddamned family!" she screamed. "You want to know why I'm so messed up? You want to know why I used to scream at night and pound on my bedroom window? You want to know why everything that happens is my fault? This! This is why it's all my fault, Aiden! Because it is! I may have been three years old, Aiden… I may not remember exact details of what happened, but I remember why they happened! I remember enough of it to make this entire thing a living hell for me." She said as tears stung her eyes, and she gasped for air as she held the rest of the file in her hand, staring across the desk at him. "I have had to live every single day of my life … hoping… praying that someone would save me from this, from having to think about it, re-live it… someone to rescue me from it… but I'll always be that little girl, sitting in the corner of that room praying for someone to save me, because nobody will ever save me!" She shouted. "You should take a good look at Grace's file too while you're at it, you can see how it should have been me that was kidnapped that time as well. I… I just…"

"Antonia…" Aiden sobbed.

"I hope you're happy with what you've done… because it's out, it's all out and I can't get the genie back in the bottle." She whispered. "It's done. I'm done, we're done."

"No." he shook his head. "Antonia, no."

"You don't get a say in this." She said, pointing at him. "You made your choice."

"Antonia, we can talk about this." He said, trying to remain calm, trying desperately not to look at the photos that she had thrown about the room.

"There's nothing to talk about. I'm done talking, I'm all talked out." She said, taking a step backward. "You said this morning, Aiden… If we can't trust one another, then we can't be partners, that we can't be together. You wanted to know if I could trust you. Well, I can't trust you. I will never trust you." She said, setting her jaw.

"Antonia, please." He stepped forward.

"No." She shook her head. "I'm done." She said, staring directly into his eyes. "You have one hell of a mess to clean up here." She said, taking the rest of the file, she tipped it over, and dumped the contents on the floor, watching as the paper floated unceremoniously to the carpet. She pulled the silver key that he had given her earlier from her pocket and deposited it on the desk, staring directly into his eyes. "Goodbye." She then turned sharply on her heel and angrily made her way to the stairwell.

"Antonia! Please!" Aiden exclaimed, only to watch her disappear out of sight, as he stand alone surrounded by the haunting photos of her past.


	25. Hit List

Aiden stood speechless as he stared at the papers that had been tossed through the bullpen, and he tried desperately not to focus on them. His head was spinning as her outburst rolled through his brain like an angry tempest. Physically she was gone, but emotionally she had left quite the mess in her wake. He could see the pain in her eyes, the anger that pushed these memories to the forefront, and he could feel the ache in his heart as he replayed that tone of her voice again and again in his mind. He started with the last pile of papers, the ones that she had dropped at her exit, and began to gather them quickly, piling them neatly on the desk as he fixed some of the pages that had folded or bent, and with no rhyme or reason of order, he just piled them up and refused to look at their content.

He could feel the lump in his throat and the tears in his eyes, and he scolded himself as if he were crying for himself, when he knew deep in his heart that he was crying for her. His hands moved over the piles of photographs. There were more pictures of the crime scene at the apartment, and the warehouse they had found her in, pictures of her injuries, and one picture that nearly broke his heart. Booth lying on the ground, his eyes squeezed tightly while his arm wrapped around the tiny barefooted and bloody child. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her fists balled tightly as she held his shirt as if it were the only thing she needed to be alive. Temperance was kneeling beside them, her body hunched over them with both of her own fists, were balled with rage, or fear, or something more primal.

The next photo was a close up of Antonia's face, scratches and bruises evident, her dark eyes vacant and unseeing and wide. Her hair was matted with blood and dirt, and there was a slight snarl on her lips, one that he had literally just seen minutes earlier. He ran his finger over the photo, seeing her features in the little girl, knowing that the pain that was in her eyes in this picture were mirrored in her eyes just minutes earlier. He picked up the next photo and sighed, a picture of her lying in her mother's arms in a hospital room, her body so tiny as she was rocked by her mother, her feet covered in white socks, which seemed odd to him for some reason. He shook his head and continued to grab the pictures, his heart wrenching with each one. He piled them on top of the other papers, and then walked around where she had been moving, dropping papers as she had avoided him. There were statements and more photos, as well as reports and other notes and information.

He piled everything up on the desk and stared at it, feeling as if he had just made the biggest mistake of his entire life.

* * *

Booth was in the kitchen cleaning dishes from dinner when he heard the front door open and slam closed. He listened carefully, but heard nothing further, so he stepped out of the kitchen into the living room. Looking around, he saw two mismatched socked feet sticking out from the side of the couch. "Toni?" He looked over at the stairs, where Temperance had appeared, also having heard the door slam. He indicated the couch, and she shrugged. "Toni, are you okay?" he called.

"No." She said from beneath the throw pillow that she had covered her face with. "No, I'm not okay." She said, looking up, she could see that both of her parents were watching her. "I'll be fine." She said, covering her head again, she put her head back.

Booth looked to Temperance, who took another step or two down the stairs as they wordlessly tried to determine exactly how to handle the situation. Temperance waved Booth off, and he nodded, stepping back into the kitchen, knowing that she may need backup. She stepped to the couch and touched her daughter's foot, watching as she pulled it back quickly, looked up at her mother, she gave her an apologetic look as she moved her foot back. Temperance put her hand on her daughter's foot and watched her eyes for a moment. "Do you want to watch a movie?" Temperance asked.

"Yes."

"Do you want me to get the chocolate ice cream?" She asked.

"Yes." Antonia nodded.

"Anything else?" Temperance asked, watching her daughter shake her head as Temperance nodded, and walked toward the kitchen.

"Mom?" She said, looking over the back of the couch, she gave her a desperate look as Temperance looked toward her. "Ask Dad if he wants to watch too."

"Of course, baby." Temperance said, stepping into the kitchen. As soon as she entered the room, Booth's eyes were on her. He put the last dish in the dishwasher and she stopped by the counter.

"What happened?" Booth asked.

"I'm not sure yet, but it might have to do with Aiden. She wants both of us to watch a movie with her." Temperance said softly.

"Both of us?" Booth said, giving her a concerned look.

"You don't have to, it's alright. I don't know if she's going to want to talk, but she did ask for you specifically." Temperance shrugged.

"Fine, I'll watch a movie with you guys… but nothing too girly." He said, reaching for the silverware drawer, he pulled two spoons out and held them out to her, and Temperance smiled.

"Thank you." She said, grabbing the spoons, she moved toward the freezer for the ice cream.

* * *

Aiden put the file back together as carefully as he could, ensuring that all of the papers that had been removed were placed carefully within it. He stared at her name for a long minute as he placed the Boone file on top and quickly walked himself to the records room. He could feel a tightly wound anxiety in his chest as he moved himself around the cabinets and shelves, ending up at the filing cabinet. He placed each file back in its rightful place, looking again at the offending folder that had gutted his heart. Pulling his fingers back, he quickly slammed the drawer closed forcefully, turned and walked out of the records room quickly.

He walked to his desk and grabbed the key from the corner, shoving it into his pocket. He grabbed his coat and shoved his arms into the sleeves as he looked back at the paperwork on his desk. With a quick pull of the lamp string on his desk, he turned and marched quickly out of the office, making his way to his car. He jumped into the driver's seat and started driving, making his way through the streets of Washington D.C., hoping to catch a glimpse of her in any of her usual places. He drove first to the lab, thinking that it would be the first place she'd go, and when her car wasn't in the garage, he continued his quest. He drove to her apartment, to the bar, the diner, to Grace's apartment, and eventually ended up driving toward Booth's house. When he saw her car in the driveway, he finally allowed his stomach to stop clenching, and his pulse to calm. He knew that she was safe, though that did very little for his own peace of mind.

* * *

Temperance and Booth sat with Antonia on the couch as a random movie played across the screen. Antonia sat quietly with her body resting against her father as he snored, having fallen asleep not long after the movie had started. They had finished the carton of ice cream, the spoons sticking out of the top as Antonia stared at the television screen. Temperance was fairly certain that she wasn't watching what was on the screen. "Toni?" Temperance whispered, watching Antonia's head turn slowly, her eyes flicker to her mother. "Are you okay?" she whispered.

"No." Antonia whispered back. "I don't know."

"Where is Aiden, sweetheart?" Temperance asked, watching her daughter shrug, her eyes dropped to her hands as she flicked her attention back to the television screen. "Did you have an argument?"

"We're done." She whispered, staring at the screen. Temperance could see her daughter's lip trembling, and her head turned to look at her mother again. Carefully, she lifted herself from her father's side, and leaned into her mother's embrace, resting her forehead on her mother's shoulder, she began to silently cry. Temperance ran her fingers through Antonia's hair, listening to her quiet sobs as she kissed her head, her eyes traveled across to Booth, who had woken up, and was watching them, his eyes filled with concern.

"He knows." She whispered into her mother's shoulder. "I think I made a horrible mistake."

"What happened?" Temperance asked, bringing Antonia's eyes even with hers. "Tell me what happened. Did he hurt you?"

"No." She shook her head. "Well, yes, but…I…" Antonia said, gasping for air. "I was…I am so confused."

"So am I." Booth mumbled from the other side of the couch, gaining a scowl from Antonia, and a slight smirk from Temperance. "What?" He shrugged. "Sorry, I'm tired." He mumbled, watching as Antonia repositioned herself, leaning against her mother slightly as she watched her father, a slight scowl on her face. "Why are you confused?"

"If I wasn't kidnapped, would you have ever come back for us?" Antonia asked. "If I was never taken that day, and Mom never found out that you were alive, were you just going to leave us?" She asked, watching Booth sit up a bit uncomfortably.

"Ant." Temperance whispered in her daughter's ear, a tone akin to warning.

"No, I want to know." She said, staring into her father's eyes, her tears having quickly dried as her logical mind churned away at the evidence. "I want to know the truth. I deserve to know the truth. Were you, or were you not planning on leaving and never coming back? It's a simple question."

"It was a lot more complicated than that." Booth said, watching the hurt in her eyes.

"It's not complicated at all, it is a simple question." She said, pulling herself into a standing position, she started to pace in front of the couch. Booth reached over and switched on the lamp, glancing to Temperance as they watched their daughter walk back and forth. "I was visiting Aiden, and he had..." She looked to her father, and paused. "He had taken the file, my missing person's file from the records room." She watched as Booth straightened, his jaw set. "He said he wasn't going to look at it, but he had seen it...and I... I just lost it." She whispered. "I started going through the file." She said, looking at the surprise on their face. "I saw the pictures, and the crime scene, and... and statements, and I read what I said had happened, and...I saw the warehouse, and the room, and the... the blood, and the pain... and I could feel it all again." She stopped for a moment as she paced faster. "He said he wasn't going to look at it. He swore that he wasn't going to, but I just...I couldn't take it anymore. There was just... so much! There was so much, and I... I don't know. I could feel the cuts on my feet, the rope burns on my wrists. I could hear Deuce's breathing. I could see, and feel, and taste Deuce's blood in my mouth, smell it on my skin." She grimaced. "I could hear the gunshots, Mom's scream." Antonia stopped, staring at her mother. "Dad's statement said that he was never supposed to come back." She said, stopping in front of him. "Of all of the things that I read, felt, and saw... that was the one thing that cut me the deepest. Why did you want to leave us?"

"Because I had promised your mother that I wouldn't betray her trust." Booth said, glancing to Temperance. "She was doing just fine on her own."

"Was she?" Antonia snapped. "Was she doing just fine on her own? Crying herself to sleep every night was her being just fine on her own?" Antonia nodded. "I get it."

"Antonia." Temperance whispered.

"What?" she said, her tone intrusive and angry.

"Your Dad and I worked all of this out years ago."

"That's nice." Antonia nodded. "That's great, but there were three people involved in all of this, not just you, Mom, not just him. It's not just about you and him." She said angrily, carefully choosing her words.

"Antonia, stop it." Booth said, shaking his head. "Don't come here ready for a fight. We're not going to argue with you about this." Booth said sternly.

"I just want some answers!" She exclaimed, tears springing to her eyes, though her tone was full of anger. "I just want answers." She said, turning around she walked toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Booth asked, getting up from the couch, he walked toward her.

"I'm going home. I'm sorry to bother you." She said, struggling with her sneaker, her scowl was angry, and her body was trembling with rage.

"Antonia." Temperance said, also standing up.

"No. It's fine. I just have a lot on my mind, and I don't want to bother you guys anymore. You're busy people. I've had a crappy night, in fact, a few crappy nights." She said, slamming her foot into the floor when her sneaker wouldn't pull on properly. "Damn sneaker." She muttered. "Maybe I'll just go home and have a few glasses of wine, and take a nap in the bathtub." She said, slamming her foot again, she reached for the other sneaker.

"You're not going anywhere, Antonia. Not angry, you're not going." Booth said, as she held up her other sneaker at him.

"I'm leaving, and you're not stopping me." She said, shaking the sneaker in his face as Booth grabbed it from her hand. "Dad! Give me my sneaker!"

"No." He said, holding it out of her reach. "You're not going to come into my home like a hurricane, rile everyone up, and then just bust out of here leaving us in your wake. That is unacceptable. You will sit down on the couch and have a conversation with us, or you will go to your room and sleep there, but you will not get into your car when you are angry!"

"I don't need my sneaker to drive!" She exclaimed, pulling her keys from her pocket, Booth reached forward and grabbed them too, throwing them over his shoulder, they landed somewhere in the living room.

"Sit down, or go upstairs. Those are your two options right now."

"I am an adult!"

"Then start acting like one!" Booth shouted back.

Antonia stood, redfaced and angry as she stared at her father, with his stance and angry face replicating hers perfectly. It was as if he was having a standoff with himself.

"Alright, that's enough." Temperance said, watching as Booth's shoulders dropped just slightly, though Antonia was still at attention. She reached forward and grabbed Antonia's sneaker from Booth and tossed it onto the floor. "Take your other shoe off, and go sit on the couch." She said to Antonia, who continued staring at her father angrily. "Antonia Elyse!" Temperance said, watching as Antonia's eyes went to her mother. "Couch. Now." She looked to Booth and shook her head slightly.

"I shouldn't have to defend myself from you in my own home." He said, pointing angrily at Antonia. "You've had a pretty damn good upbringing, and..."

"Booth!" Temperance exclaimed. "It's done, stop it." She said, watching as he shook his head.

He looked to Temperance, and then back at Antonia, his chest still heaving with anger. "I'm going to bed." He muttered. "Goodnight." He said as he turned around and pounded his way up the stairs.

Antonia watched her father disappear up the stairs and looked back at her mother, her eyes filled with confusion, despair, and frustration. "I just want to go home." She whispered.

"You are home." Temperance said, watching Antonia clench her jaw. "Now have a seat, and we can discuss all of this without having to start a nuclear war."

Antonia watched her mother closely for a moment, her shoulders slumping slowly as she watched Temperance's eyebrows lift just slightly. She kicked off her shoe and walked toward the couch, setting herself heavily on the cushions, as she waited for her mother to join her.


	26. Brave, Strong, and Bold

Temperance sat beside her daughter, quietly watching as she stared at the coffee table as if it had offended her. She was breathing through her nose, and it was obvious that she was trying to regulate her breathing. "Antonia." Temperance said, letting her daughter's name flutter from her lips, she watched her focus flick to her mother's eyes. "Why do you focus so much energy on something that never actually happened?"

Antonia closed her eyes, focused on her breathing for a moment. "There are too many variables." She said softly. "Too many variables."

"I don't understand." Temperance said, watching her daughter's eyes open, there was a flash of annoyance that quickly disappeared. "I want to, but I don't understand, please explain it to me."

"If Dad had just come back." She said, looking to her mother. "If you knew that he wasn't dead, that he was simply in the witness protection program… then I probably wouldn't be here. That's variable one. If he had been in that plane accident and had gotten someone to get rid of the man who kidnapped me before I was taken, he would have just disappeared, Mom. He would have left us, vanished. We both would have been abandoned, but the difference is, that you didn't know… only I knew that he was alive… only I would be the one that would have suffered for that loss… and Grace wouldn't be here." She said, watching her mother nod. "That's variable two."

"Antonia, it doesn't matter what could have happened if things were different. Variables don't matter in this situation, we're not talking in terms of science, this is reality. This is what actually happened, and life is far too short to hold grudges, and be angry about decisions that weren't made. He did come back to us. And you are here, and Grace is here. That's the only thing that matters." Temperance said softly, watching Antonia shake her head.

"Yes, but that's not what he chose, Mom." She said, pointing into the air angrily. "That wasn't his choice. He didn't know where Parker was, but he knew where we were, but he was choosing to stay away. He was choosing to leave us behind in your misery. He would have caused my misery when he would stop coming to see me. It was his choice until it wasn't his choice anymore. How can you not be angry at him about that?" She asked coldly.

"Because I spent almost five horribly lonely years without him, Antonia. I was angry at him for dying, but when he came home, I wasn't about to waste one more second being angry about things that I couldn't control. He was alive, and he was there. I knew that he had that choice, Ant. I know that he could have left for good, but he didn't… and I don't know if he really could have left. The sun rises and sets in your eyes for him, Antonia. Your Dad loves you with his entire soul, and he has proven that time and again. You know that is the truth, why are you treating him so horribly? He doesn't deserve that. What is this really about?"

"I don't know." She said with a sigh, resting her face in her hands as she shook her head. She curled her legs up beneath herself, curling into a ball, resting on the arm of the couch. "I feel so angry sometimes, at everything and everyone. I only remember bits and pieces, but what I do remember are so vivid and frightening, that when I read through the statements, that one thing just hit me." She whispered. She looked up at Temperance and sighed. "I'm not mad at Dad. I just, I want answers, and I don't always know the right questions."

"You are being reactive." Temperance said, watching Antonia look up at her. "Just as you did with Aiden."

"I felt cornered. I felt embarrassed. I felt betrayed." She whispered. "He begged me not to open the file, he told me he didn't look into it, but it isn't the action, it's the intent. He intended on looking at it, he intended on invading my privacy simply because he had the power to do so. Even if it was for a second, it was his intention, and that makes me very uncomfortable."

"Antonia, do you remember our conversation over lunch?" Temperance asked, watching as Antonia looked over at her mother. "Do you remember what your sister's advice was over the whole trust issue?"

"She wanted me to investigate further." Antonia responded.

"That's right. And what did you tell me?"

"I told you that primary sources are better, more accurate."

"Did you even have a moment of weakness? A moment, where you were tempted to do your own research? Curiosity is a natural reaction, it's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I…" Antonia stammered, thinking of that damned search engine cursor from earlier. "I…I'm a scientist, of course I want to gather evidence, it's in my nature."

"And Aiden is an investigator, Antonia." Temperance replied. "It's part of his job, its his strength. You can't fault the man for doing his job. He didn't mean to hurt you, and I understand that your past is a very, very sensitive thing to discuss, but if you trust him, if you love him… you were probably going to tell him about it anyway. Your past is as much about who you are now as your genetics and your upbringing. It's why you're so strong willed and hard headed, it's why you're passionate and cautious."

"It's why I can't sleep for longer than three hours in a row at night, or ride in an elevator without breaking into a cold sweat. It's a curse. My past is my curse."

"It doesn't have to be. For too long, my past was my curse, Antonia. I missed out on a lot of things because of it."

"Like what?" She sighed.

"Like telling your father before he died… that I loved him." Temperance admitted. "If I wasn't so afraid of his rejection or abandonment, I would have told him earlier. I would have told him before he had gotten on that plane. I would have told him months earlier, but I didn't, and I suffered for that. I convinced myself that I had more time, and I didn't. Life could be over in a second, Antonia, and you can't live it as if it's a long term plan.

"Do you really think that telling him before he left that day would have made a difference?" Antonia asked.

"I do. I mean, things worked out in the end, but how different would it have been if I knew that he knew the truth before he was gone." Temperance shrugged. "It could have made it better, I would have rested easier, knowing that he knew he was loved. I wouldn't have felt as much guilt. We all have a past, Antonia. We can either learn from it and move forward, or we can live in it and die in it, alone."

"But how can I trust him?" She whispered.

"You do trust him. You trust him more than you trust anyone, Antonia. I would even bet that you trust him more than you trust your father." She said, watching Antonia's face twist to a scowl. "You had three choices when you saw that file, Ant. You could have demanded he put it back." She said, watching her pointedly. "You could have taken it with you, though unadvised and illegal, it was inherently a choice, or you could have done what you did, which was be straight with him and let him have a taste of the whole situation. You put all that pain, all of that frustration, all of that fear that you've been holding inside for all of these years out on the table. You saw the photos, read the statements. You've never talked about it with anyone, Antonia, not even your father or me. But for Aiden, you showed him a part of you that you've kept locked in your soul for far too long. You love him, and you trust him with your life, Antonia." Temperance said, watching her daughter's eyes search hers, watching as they filled with tears.

"I…" Antonia whispered. "Mom, I…think I made a horrible mistake."

"Aiden loves you, sweetheart. He's not going to give up."

"You don't know that." Antonia whispered.

Temperance pulled her phone from her pocket and handed it to Antonia, watching as she gave her a strange look. "What?"

Temperance nodded toward the phone as Antonia looked down at it. There were three messages from Aiden. The first said, "Doctor Brennan, I messed up." The second said, "Please tell her I'm sorry." The third said. "Please tell her I love her."

Antonia looked up at her mother, tears in her eyes as she took a slow, deep breath. "Mom."

"He loves you, and he's sorry." She said, reaching out to touch her daughter's cheek. "It takes a brave man to admit he's wrong, a strong man to admit he's sorry, and a bold man to admit it to his girlfriend's mother." Temperance said, watching as Antonia took a deep breath. "He must know you're here and safe." She whispered. "Go upstairs, get some rest, and tomorrow we'll tackle this, okay?"

"Okay." Antonia nodded, handing her mother's phone back to her, her eyes focusing on her hands.

"Hang on a second." Temperance said softly as she stood up and walked toward the bookcase in the room, scanning the books quickly, she pulled one from the shelf. Antonia watched her as she flipped through the pages quickly, pulling an envelope from within the pages. She placed the book back in the bookcase and turned around. She walked back to Antonia and crouched in front of her, holding the envelope in her hand, she showed it to her. Her name was scrawled across it in Booth's messy handwriting, and it was yellowed with age, a crease down the center from where it had been folded. She handed it to Antonia, who held it in her fingertips gingerly and looked at it, and then looked back up at her mother.

"This is from your Dad." She said softly. "It might answer some of your questions." She touched her daughter's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I love you very much, my baby girl, and I want nothing more than for you to feel happy and safe. I'm glad you came here when you felt you needed it."

"I am too." Antonia whispered, leaning forward to wrap her arms around her mother tightly. "I love you, Mom. I love you so much."

"Go get some sleep." Temperance whispered. Antonia nodded as she pulled from the hug, and they both stood up. Antonia held her mother's hand for a moment longer, before she walked toward the stairs, and quietly ascended them. She turned as she reached the fourth step, and noticed her mother scoop up her keys and head into the kitchen with them. After she made it to the stop step, she paused, glancing down the hallway at her parent's bedroom. The door was open a crack, a soft light from inside escaped into the hallway, an olive branch of sorts, to let her know that though he had been upset, he wasn't angry.

"I love you, Dad." She said softly down the hall, and heard the soft rumble of his reply, warming her heart a bit as she opened the door to her old bedroom. She entered the bedroom and turned on the light, holding the envelope in her hand securely as she turned and closed the door behind her. She walked to the bed and sat down, listening to the gentle groan of the springs as she flipped the envelope in her hand, running her finger along the crease in the middle. She listened for a moment to the sound of her mother stepping up the stairs and walking down the hallway, lifting her head when she heard her father's voice, and her mother's muffled response through the house, and a gentle laugh that made her feel even more at home. She sighed as she stood up, walking across the room, she turned on the bedside table light, and then shuffled toward the switch for the main light, turning it off. The room was bathed in a gentle blue from the cloudless sky and the moon that had risen, sending her toward the window as if it were beckoning her. Her hands moved across the curtains, pulling them from the window pane as she looked out at the sky for a moment, listening to the quiet of the house. She sighed as she looked at the envelope again, her finger running again over the top of it as her eyes were brought to a slight movement in the backyard.

She almost gasped at the sight, the tall lanky man sitting awkwardly on the swingset, his eyes staring up at her window as she gazed down at him. Her mind flashed to another time and place for a split second, and a gentle smile rose on her lips as she felt a lump in her throat. She put her hand on the window, watching as he stopped moving the swing, and just watched her. He lifted his hand gently to beckon her, and for a moment she just watched him, her heart beating wildly in her chest. She held up her finger to indicate that she would come down in a moment, and then very quickly turned from the window and made her way downstairs.


	27. Start There

The swing-set barely made a sound as he dragged his feet across the frozen ground. He had no idea how long he had been sitting there, rocking himself back and forth as he tried to muster the courage to call her, or text her, or even leave. The longer Aiden sat there, the more flashes of the photos that he had seen flicked in his mind. The blood, pain, and the soulful sadness in a young girl's eyes. He kept hearing her voice in his head, loud and shrill and frightened as she shouted and screamed at him. He could see the torment in her eyes, the tears rolling down her cheeks, and the tight clench of her fists as she held tightly to the file and its contents.

He could hear her descriptions of the torture and pain, and feel the tightly wound anxiety that had unraveled before his eyes. He was happy that she had found her way to her parent's house, if only because he knew that she wasn't alone, and that she was safe from loneliness. He had driven past the house nearly four times before he had decided to stop, and he sat in the car for a while before venturing toward the house. Initially he had walked toward the front door, and immediately changed direction, somehow ending up in the backyard, sitting on the swing, slowly freezing to death in the sub-zero temperatures.

He watched the lights downstairs with slight curiosity, and at one point heard raised voices, though the words they spoke were muffled by the house, and sound of the wind in his ears. He could feel the icy cold air prickling his skin, his ears long since numbed, his fingertips aching in the cold air. After a while, his eyes flicked to the light of a bedroom upstairs, the bedroom that he knew was hers when the light bathed the once dark room. He watched in silence as he waited for the lights to go out, an indication that she was safe in the warm bed. He sighed, watching the window somewhat wistfully as he saw the main light turn off, leaving a soft glow of a bedside table to light the room. After several moments, he spied the movement of the curtains, her figure appearing in the window as he watched her fingertips touch the window pane. His eyes passed over her figure, a beauty in the moonlight, and though he couldn't see her eyes, he knew that they were on him. He lifted his hand slightly, moving it to beckon her near. Her hand lifted, her finger in the air, as suddenly she disappeared from the window.

He dropped his head, moving his hands to the ropes of the swing, he lifted his eyes back to her window. He noticed the light in the kitchen turn on, and the door opened slowly as he watched her step out onto the back porch. "Aiden?" She said, her voice as soft as a whisper as he watched her step down the steps slowly. She had no coat on, and on her feet were winter boots that looked like they were several sizes too big for her. She stepped up to him and crouched down, resting her hands on his cheeks, her eyes were filled with deep concern, as she rested her forehead against his. "Aiden, you're going to freeze to death out here." She whispered. "How long have you been here."

"I don't know." He whispered to her, watching her brow furrow as her hands attempted to pass on their warmth.

"Come inside." She said, reaching for his hands, he heard her gentle gasp. "Aiden, your fingers are like icicles." She said, watching him wince as she gave them a gentle tug. "Come inside and warm up."

"I'm sorry." His voice cracked as he felt a hot tear roll down his cheek, her eyes following it down to his chin, as they moved quickly to his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Antonia. I'm so sorry."

"Aiden, it's okay." She said, giving his hands just a small pull, he stood up, stumbling a bit on unsteady legs. "Woah… careful there, big guy." She said, watching him rise in front of her, he looked down at her and gave her an uneasy smile. "Come inside." She said. "Please?"

"You can tell me to get lost." He said, watching her shake her head.

She wrapped her arms around his middle, feeling his arms naturally wrap around her, resting his cheek on her head, he kissed the top of her head. "I love you." She whispered, turning her head to look up at him, she could feel a swell of emotions. "Please come in out of the cold, come inside. I want to talk." She whimpered, turning her face from him, she started to walk toward the house, her hand in his as she pulled him along. He walked along with her, following her up the steps and into the back door of the house. She walked around him and closed the door, watching him turn to face her as she stood looking up at him.

Aiden couldn't read her expression, and her eyes were filled with concern, with a bit of amusement. "Take your coat off." She said softly, pulling off the boots she had slipped on to retrieve him. "Come on." She said, reaching up to unzip it, he just watched her for a moment and then reached up to touch her hands.

"I'm sorry." He said sincerely, his hands grasping hers, she unzipped his coat and pulled it from his shoulders. "Antonia."

"Stop apologizing." She said, turning to hang his coat up on the hook beside the door. "Please stop apologizing."

"Are you okay?" he whispered.

"I'm okay." She wrapped her arms around him tightly again, feeling his embrace. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

"I thought you said no more apologies." He said, running his fingers through her hair as he held her tightly to him.

"Why were you out there? Why were you freezing yourself?" she asked, watching as he avoided her gaze. "Aiden?"

"I just… I didn't want to go home without you. I can't get it out of my head. I cant… I didn't mean to…"

"Aiden, you didn't know." She said, finally capturing his gaze. "There was no way for you to know."

"I should have just asked you about it, or dropped it." He replied, rocking her slightly as they continued to stand by the door, he could finally feel his body warming up, his ears stinging as they thawed.

"If you asked me about it, I would have stonewalled you." She answered honestly. She watched him tilt his head. "I'm just being honest. I… I've never talked about it with anyone, ever." She watched his eyes focus on her deeper. "I reacted badly, and I'm sorry."

"You were just protecting your heart." He said, bringing his hand to her jaw, he watched her look away bashfully. "I shouldn't have pried. It wasn't my place, it wasn't my right."

"I want to tell you everything." She whispered, looking into his eyes. "I want to share everything with you, Aiden. Everything."

"Antonia… You…"

She furrowed her brow a little, she rested her head on his chest and sighed.

"Antonia?" he said, watching her eyes lift to his, she still had a pouty expression on her face. She sighed lightly, then leaned up, pressing her lips to his, he heard a low growl as she deepened the kiss, pushing herself against him, he nearly stumbled backwards as he returned the kiss with equal fervor. She pulled back suddenly, looking him in the eyes as he watched her tongue roll over her lips. "Tex." He breathed softly.

"There it is." She whispered, a mischievous smile on her lips, watching his eyes sparkle back at her.

"That's all you wanted?"

"I wanted to start there." She said, taking his hand. "Come to my room with me." She said, tugging his arm a bit.

He pulled his shoes off. Taking a step toward her, he pulled her close, stopping their quick retreat. "Hey, hang on a second." He said, watching her turn her head, she stopped and looked at him curiously. "Do I have to worry about your father killing me tomorrow?"

She let out a laugh and pulled at him a little. "No." She said, shaking her head.

"Good." He sighed, walking with her out of kitchen.

She glanced back to him as she dragged him toward the stairs. They walked up slowly and she glanced to him. "Dad is a sniper." She whispered softly. "You won't know when it's coming." She said, laughing out loud as he turned around to walk back down the stairs. She grabbed his arm. "Come on." She giggled. "And be quiet, my parents are trying to sleep."


	28. Letter Be

Once they were both in the room, and Antonia paused for a moment, then locked her door and turned to see Aiden standing with a slight smirk on his face at her pause. "What are you listening for?" He whispered.

She gave him a playful look, shaking her head. "Nothing." She said, approaching him, she wrapped her arms around him again, resting her head on his chest. "I'm sorry." She whispered. She looked up at him, and he held her tightly as she watched his eyes. "I talked to my mom and dad about it." She whispered. "I've… I've never talked to them about it, Aiden, not since I was little."

"Did it feel good to talk about it, or did it make you feel worse?" He whispered.

"I think it made me feel a little better." She replied. "I want it to help me feel better. I don't want it to be bottled up inside of me anymore."

"I'm here, Tex." He said, watching a small smile appear on her lips. "I'm here for anything, and I mean it." He whispered. "I love you, and I'm sorry."

"What did I say about apologizing?" She asked, poking at his shirt buttons as she looked up at him.

"I forget." He whispered. "Sorry." He said with a smile as he leaned down and captured her lips with his. Her arms went right around his shoulders as she stood on her tiptoes and deepened the kiss. She pushed against him, sending him stepping backwards until his legs hit the edge of the bed, and then she pushed him lightly with her body, landing atop him as he landed lightly on the bed. He let out a puff of air against her mouth when her body landed on him, and he almost laughed, until she covered his mouth with her hand and giggled against him. "Sorry…" he said against her hand. "I'm sorry." He said again, as he continued fighting the full laugh that was threatening to escape.

"You're going to wake up my parents!" She whispered at him. "Then I'll have to explain to them why I have a boy in my room." She giggled quietly, pulling her hand away from his mouth, she moved up and kissed him, and he rolled her over, anchoring himself as he kissed her, pressing some of his weight on her. He pulled away from the kiss and looked down into her eyes.

"Let them wonder." He whispered, growling lightly into her neck as she tried desperately not to squeal out in laughter.

"Aiden…" She giggled when he let up. "Aiden…" she sighed, watching his eyes glitter in the light of the room.

"Well, now they're going to know which boy is in your room." He said, admiring her smile as he wiggled his eyebrows at her. He kissed her softly, and she laughed a little.

"Right, because I always have boys in my room." She whispered. "I'm not my sister."

"Oh, not nice." Aiden said, attacking her neck with kisses again, she wiggled more, pushing him back down, she rolled and straddled him, playfully unbuttoning his shirt. "Hey, what are you doing there?" he asked, swatting her hand halfheartedly. "Trying to find the next item of my clothing that you're going to steal?" He asked.

"You don't mind." She said softly, pushing his hands away as she unbuttoned the shirt. When that task was done, she ran her hands across his bare chest. "Mm…" She whispered as she leaned down and pressed her ear against his chest, curling herself against his body as she listened to his heartbeat.

He pushed his fingers through her hair, looking down to see if she would look up at him. His patience was rewarded when she rolled to the side, settling beside him on the bed, she leaned herself into him and moved her face close to his. He shifted a little, feeling something beneath him as he rolled, he looked to the side and pulled out the envelope that Antonia had tossed onto the bed. "I think we landed on this." He said, holding it out to her.

Immediately, her expression changed from one of happiness to concern, and there was a bit of fear mixed in. "Oh." She whispered. She pulled it from his hand and rolled onto her back, though he moved to his side to stay close. She flipped the envelope in her fingers, watching it curiously without saying a word. "My mother gave this to me tonight." She said, looking up at him, he watched her eyes, saying nothing. "She said it might be able to answer some of my questions." She said, rolling toward him, she put the envelope on his chest and cuddled into him. "I don't know if I want to open it."

"Then don't open it." He said, picking it up, she grabbed it from him immediately, and gave him a playful scowl. He chuckled at her quick grab and turned his head to kiss her forehead.

"I want to open it." She replied, looking up into his eyes.

"Then open it." He said, pulling it from her hand, she grabbed it back and growled at him playfully. "Do you want me to open it?"

"No." She said, her voice unconvinced. "Yes…Maybe." She shrugged, trying to roll onto her other side, facing away from him, he pulled her into him tightly, and wrapped his other arm around her, settling his lips beside her ear.

"Do you want to open it together?" He whispered into her ear, watching her run her finger across the name on the envelope.

"Maybe." She said softly, feeling his tender kiss right behind her ear. She felt warm in his embrace, safe. "Is there anything you want to talk about first? Is there anything that I told you that you want to know more about?" She whispered. "Did you read through the file?" She asked, turning her head to look into his eyes.

"I didn't read through the file." He said, looking into her eyes. "I already felt horrible enough for what I had put you through, and I promised I wouldn't." He watched her eyes sparkle. "I promise, that I didn't pull that file because I thought you were keeping something from me. I just… I want to know everything about you, and in a moment of weakness, I just grabbed it from the drawer." He lifted his hand, and in the dim light of the room, she could see the dark bruises across his fingers.

"Aiden, what happened?" she whispered, taking his hand, she held it tenderly. Rolling onto her other side, she let the envelope fall between them as she faced him.

"Oh." he said, looking at the bruises. "I accidentally slammed my fingers in the filing drawer. This was earlier, before you got there. I deserved it." He said, watching her run her fingers over the bruises tenderly. She leaned her lips to them, and kissed them softly. "Much better." He whispered, wrapping his arm around her, he pulled her closer, resting his lips beside her ear as she cuddled into him. "I love you, Tex." He whispered.

"Thank you for not giving up on me." She whispered.

"I'll never give up on you. I need you to be safe. I need you to feel safe with me, I need you to trust me. Please say you trust me." He whispered. His voice had taken on a slight tone of desperation, a tone of fear. She tried to pull from his embrace, but he held her securely enough so that she couldn't see the pain in his eyes. "How can I earn back your trust?"

She gave him a moment or two, enough for him to regain the composure that he was losing, enough to take a deep breath and find some peace in her embrace. "I trust you, Aiden." She said, whispering into his neck. "I trust you more than I have ever trusted anyone in my life. I trust you with my life." She said, pulling away a bit, she wanted to look into his eyes. She could see the unshed tears in his green eyes, the way his forehead wrinkled in worry, the way the corner of his bottom lip slipped between his teeth when he was thinking, when he was concerned. "I trust you with my heart, Aiden." She whispered. "I trust you with my past, and…and my future." She whispered, moving forward she kissed him tenderly, sighing lightly as she lifted her hand to his cheek. "I love you." She said softly, kissing him again. She reached between them and pulled the envelope. He let her roll onto her back, and he watched her dark eyes move over the envelope again, before flicking to his eyes. He simply watched her for a moment, and her eyes moved back to the envelope.

She took a deep breath, poking her finger below the flap, the aged glue on the envelope gave in freely to the movement, and the flap of the envelope lifted easily. She looked back to him, his eyes only on her face as she turned back to the envelope and carefully slipped the piece of paper from within it.

The paper itself was not yellowed, as it had been protected by the envelope. It was a small piece of notebook paper, the ink bleeding through slightly in spots, she just stared at the paper without unfolding it. He reached for it tenderly, and she watched him for a moment, trusting him to take the delicate piece of paper from her fingertips, she moved closer to him as he unfolded it. He watched her for a moment, her eyes never leaving the paper, and he felt a warmth in his heart as she put all of her trust in him at that moment. He wanted to ask her if she was sure that she wanted him to do this, but knew that if there was a question, she would have stopped him already. He unfolded the paper slowly, watching the words on the page unfold as well, as he looked to her and caught her gaze on him for a moment. He held it, the paper open, and it was as if there was a resounding sigh of relief between the two of them. He almost chuckled at himself for the suspenseful moment, as if they each believed that the paper would disappear, or burst into flames before they read it.

She took one side of the paper in her hand, and he held the other, as she began to read the words aloud.

* * *

 _Antonia,_

 _My Toni, my baby girl. I sat down to this letter to tell you the truth, and all I can think about is how much my heart is hurting right now. I don't even know if you remember me. I don't even know where I am as you read this, how old you are, where you are in your journey. I am heartbroken, I am lost, and I am sorry. I am sorry for what I've put you through. I'm sorry for what I've done, I am sorry for leaving. It was never my intention to be seen, Antonia. It was never my intention to need you so much in my life. The day that I met you, was the first day in a very long time that I felt true love. You were my secret, I was yours. I was your Deuce, and you were my heart._

* * *

Antonia released her side of the letter, turning herself to bury her face into Aiden's side, she let the tears in her eyes flow freely as he held her. "It's okay." He whispered to her tenderly. "I've got you." He whispered against her trembling body. Her hand rested on his chest, and she lifted her eyes to meet his, his hand still holding the letter securely, he pulled her closer and kissed the tears on her cheeks. "I've got you." He whispered. He let her cry into him for a few moments, her sobs breaking his heart as she tried to find her courage. "We've got this, Tex." He whispered. She started to calm, taking slow, deliberate breaths, and closed her eyes before taking her side of the paper again, and looking at him, nodding her head toward the letter. "You're sure?" he whispered, and she nodded, allowing him to read the next part.

* * *

 _I don't know exactly how this letter made its way to you, but you should know the truth, if only so that you know that I knew who you were, and that I loved you with every fiber of my being._

* * *

Aiden paused and looked to her, a small smile on her lips as he took a deep breath and continued.

* * *

 _The truth is that you were always meant to be, you were always a twinkle in your mother's eye, or a sleepy sigh, or a whisper in the darkness, even when I was there, and your mother and I were together as partners. You were always meant to be here, always meant to be your mother's keeper, her shadow, her love, her peacemaker. You are what makes her happy, and you are the reason she breathes, the reason she moves forward, the reason she wakes up in the morning, little girl. You are her hero, you are her lifeline, and her reality, you are her safety net._

 _I am the man that broke her heart, and I see that. I am the man she loved, and lost, and you are the cure for the pain in her heart. There is nothing that I can do or say to repay you for what you have done for me, Antonia._

* * *

Aiden looked to her as she smiled a little more, her hand on the paper trembling slightly as she tried to keep herself from breaking down. His words were thoughtful and healing, his words were perfect, and she quickly read the passage to herself again and again as Aiden allowed this moment of pause and reflection, as they devoured the letter slowly and methodically, keeping themselves together as well, as the story unfolded.

* * *

 _I promised your mother a long time ago that I would never betray her. We worked side by side for years and the trust and respect that we had for one another was unmatched and unbreakable. I don't know what your mother has told you about me, as I've only heard bits and pieces while hiding in the shadows, but you should know that when I got onto the airplane that day, I was supposed to come home. I was supposed to be there with your mother when the mission was through. I was supposed to follow through with the promises that I had made before I left. I was injured, and was taken from my family against my will, and supposedly for my own protection. Your mom was told that I was dead, and I had no say in that decision. I was injured severely and placed in the witness protection program. When I was well enough to return, I knew that I couldn't come back to your mother. She had moved on without me, moved on with you, moved on and was healing, and to disrupt that would have been devastating for her._

* * *

There was a pause in the reading for a moment as Aiden pulled her closer with his other arm, and kissed her head. She looked over to him and he pulled the letter from her fingertips for a moment and out of her reach. She reached for it as he instead wrapped that arm around her tightly, listening to her laugh lightly against his shoulder. "What are you doing?" She asked, looking around for the letter, she instead was met with his eyes just inches from hers as he stared directly into them. "What are you doing?" she repeated.

"Things were getting a little too serious there for a minute." He said softly, making a face. She let out a soft giggle and shook her head at him. "I love you, Tex."

"I love you." She replied, dropping a kiss on his lips as she looked up at where he was holding the letter above them. She brought her hand to his ribs and tickled him, and his hand dropped immediately.

"Tricky!" he whispered, laughing softly as he brought his hand down, allowing her to hold the other side of it again, Aiden returned to reading.

* * *

 _I never set out to betray your mother, Toni, so please don't hate me. I never set out to betray you either. I'd sooner die before I break that promise. I have one more mission to fulfill before I disappear, before I hand this letter over to someone who will be sure to get it to you. The men that bombed the plane I was in are out there, and I am afraid they might hurt you or your mother. I vow that I will find those men and be sure that they will never endanger you. When the mission is complete, if I survive, I have to go. I've lied to you long enough. I do not want to leave, but each day you wait for me at that window, my heart breaks a little more. You have a beautiful soul, and a love that is deep and forever. I pray every day for you, for your mommy, for your future, and your heart. I pray that someday you will find it in your heart to forgive me for leaving, and that you will know that I did everything that I could to keep you safe. I only hope that one day you will find someone that you can share your memories of your past with and remember them with joy and happiness. Deuce was never meant to be any more than an imaginary friend, Antonia. He was never meant to be any more than a figment of your imagination. It was your heart, and your love that turned Deuce into something more._

 _I love you. Please forgive me, Antonia._

 _Forever,_

 _Daddy._

* * *

Antonia's fingertips brushed over the last word of the letter, her hands trembling as she released the paper from her grasp and just stared at the letters, the words. She could feel Aiden's eyes on her for a moment, and then he looked away as she dwelled on the end of the letter. She was grateful that she wasn't alone when she read the letter, and her heart was full of love and tenderness for this man who was lying beside her. He glanced to her again as she felt the emotions in her heart trying to work their way to her throat. "Why would my mother keep this?" she whispered.

Aiden turned his head, letting the question float in the air for a moment. "Because the letter had your name on it." He replied. His voice was serious and flat, his eyes focused on the letter again.

"Why wouldn't she have given it to me earlier?" She whispered, swallowing hard.

"Maybe she was afraid of how you would react. Maybe she was waiting for you to talk about the… circumstances." He said carefully.

"Maybe she was waiting for me to have someone to read it with." She said, taking the letter from his hand, she wiped a stray tear with the back of her hand as she folded it carefully and placed it in the envelope. She held it in her hand and glanced to him, her eyes focusing on the brightness of his eyes despite the darkened room, and mood. She took a deep breath and watched him for a moment, slowly releasing it. "I accused my parents of being selfish, of not caring that there was another involved person in the whole thing…I accused them of being selfish." She whispered. "They weren't selfish, and... and this is proof." she whispered.

"Well, this is why you write things down." Aiden said, pointing to the letter. "Primary sources are the best sources." He said, watching her head whip in his direction. "What?"

"What did you say?" She asked, her face suddenly curious, and a bit amused. She reached over him and placed the envelope on the bedside table and lay across his chest, looking down at him.

"Primary sources are the best…" His words were cut off by her lips on his, her weight pressing into him as she pulled herself on top of him, she sat up, straddling and looking down at him as he gave her a confused, but also amused expression. "You get turned on by the weirdest things." He said, reaching up to pull her down onto him, she landed heavily on his chest, and he turned and buried his face in her neck again, forcing her to squeak against him as she laughed. "I love you, I love you." He growled into her neck as she laughed and burrowed herself into his embrace, his antics suddenly turning tender, as he felt her body relax into his. "I love you, Tex." He whispered as he held her against him.

"I love you, more." She whispered against him, as they settled down tenderly and fell asleep in one another's arms.


	29. Morning After

**5:30am**

Booth was startled awake by the sound of light clanking in the kitchen, and the hushed giggle of his daughter in the kitchen. He rolled over and listened, and was pretty sure that he heard the sound of a man's voice as well. He sat up a little, and glanced to his wife, noting that she was sleeping peacefully, and slowly climbed from the bed. He heard the sound again, this time he was sure he heard the sound of a man's voice, and his daughter's laugh.

"Booth, leave them alone." Temperance said, rolling over to look at her husband's suspicious glance.

"Them? You know that someone else is here?" Booth asked.

"It's Aiden." She said, reaching over to touch his hand when she sensed he was about to stand up. "Just let them be."

"But…"

"Booth, it's fine. He's been here all night. She needs him." Temperance whispered, taking his hand, she tugged a little and he rolled back onto the bed. He wrapped his arm around her and kept his head slightly off the pillow as he listened.

"How do you know he's been here all night?" He asked.

"Because I am a woman of advanced intelligence. Also, your daughter is not as quiet as she thinks she is." Temperance said, feeling Booth's arms tighten around her. "Booth?" Temperance whispered.

"Hm?" he said thoughtfully, kissing her neck lightly as he waited for her response.

"I gave her the letter that you wrote to her." She whispered.

"Hm…" He mumbled into her neck. "What letter?" There was a long pause, and she said nothing, allowing her words to infiltrate his foggy brain. "Oh." He said softly.

"I just wanted you to know." She said, feeling another light kiss on her neck.

* * *

Antonia reached up for a frying pan on the rack as a small sauce pan lost its grip on the hook and started to fall. Aiden reached up and grabbed the pot before it crashed to the ground, though not for it made a clanking sound against the frying pan. Antonia let out a laugh as Aiden put his finger to his lips and hushed her with a grin.

"You're going to wake up the whole house." He said with a hushed laugh, hanging the pot back up on the rack.

"Sorry." She giggled. "It's the price they pay for making me stay here last night." She joked, feeling his arm wrap around her from behind as she walked toward the refrigerator. "I can't cook if you're connected to me." She laughed.

"You could try." He said playfully, burying his face in her neck, she let out a squeak. "Sorry." He mumbled into her skin as she let out a throaty laugh. She opened the freezer and reached in for bacon. "Tex?"

"Hm?"

"Why are your keys in the freezer?" He asked, reaching over her shoulder for the set of keys that were sitting in the door.

"Because my mother thinks she's a comedienne." She said, grabbing the keys, she tossed them on the counter. "They really didn't want me to leave last night." She said, looking up at him. "I'm glad I didn't leave."

"I'm glad they didn't put your sneaker in the freezer." He said, listening to her giggle as she tossed the bacon onto the counter and turned around into his arms, wrapping hers around his waist as he pulled her closer. "You don't have to make me breakfast."

"I like to cook too, you know. You always cook for me, it's my turn." She said, resting her head on his chest as he rocked her gently. She looked up into his eyes. "You're distracting me, though." She whispered.

"Oh yeah?" He asked, as he kissed her nose. She gave him a playful, knowing glare and he smiled. "I'll just go sit over there." He said, nodding toward the barstools.

"Good idea." She said, dropping a kiss on his lips as he reluctantly let her go, and walked around the counter to sit down. He watched her from the other side of the counter as she moved about the kitchen, cracking eggs, preparing the bacon and bread for toast, and talking as she worked. He simply admired her, and listened. At one point, he was caught staring. She had pulled the food from the burner and turned and watched him for a moment. "What are you thinking about?" she asked. He sat up a bit, and smirked, surprised that the attention was on him suddenly, and shook his head.

"Nothing, I'm just watching you."

"Yes, but what are you thinking about?" She asked, though his eyes seemed to darken at the question. "Aiden?" she whispered.

"Just about how I messed up." He said softly. "I don't ever want to hear that pain in your voice again." He replied. "I don't ever want to be the cause of that pain ever again, that disappointment." He walked to the other side of the counter, pushing the stray strand of hair behind her ear as he kissed her tenderly. "I texted your mother." He said, his voice sounding slightly embarrassed. "I didn't know what to do, but when I saw you were here, I just needed her to know that I was sorry."

"She told me you texted her." Antonia whispered. "Pretty brave of you." She said, watching a blush creep up his cheeks, she held him tightly.

"I think of anyone in your life, I think your mother would understand the most." He said softly.

"You're not afraid of them, are you?" She asked with a smile, watching as he shook his head lightly. "Well good, because they're heading downstairs right now." She smiled wickedly.

"What?" He asked, seeing the door open to the kitchen, he suddenly fell to the ground behind the counter at her feet. Antonia let out a full, joyful laugh. She was still laughing as Booth shuffled into the kitchen.

Booth gave her a confused glance, the counter blocking the man hiding between his daughter and the stove. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing." She said, continuing to laugh. Aiden tugged on her leg. "Stop!" She laughed.

"Stop what?" Booth asked, glancing toward the door, Temperance walked in. "I think she's finally gone insane."

"Get up!" Antonia laughed, looking down. "Come on, get up."

Suddenly, Aiden popped up from behind the counter. Booth and Temperance's eyes widened, though Temperance had a look of absolute amusement on her face. "Hey guys." Aiden said, his face turning a bright red as he stepped behind Antonia.

"What are you doing? Are you using me as a human shield?" She laughed, looking over her shoulder as Aiden held his hand up in greeting.

"Doctor Brennan, Sir. Good morning." He smiled sheepishly.

Booth narrowed his eyes, trying very hard to feign anger, but finding it very hard with his daughter's laugh ringing in his ears. "Fitz, what the hell are you doing on my kitchen floor?"

"Being brave." Antonia laughed, feeling him nudge her, she nudged him back. "Do you guys want breakfast? It's almost ready."

"Sure." Booth said, smiling as Antonia turned toward the refrigerator for a couple more eggs. Aiden stood awkwardly shifting a bit on his feet.

"Aiden, why don't you join us at the table." Temperance said, nodding her head as he smiled shyly and nodded. Booth and Temperance moved toward the table, and Aiden leaned over to Antonia.

"I love you." He whispered, dropping a kiss on her cheek.

"I love you." She replied, smiling a bright smile at him. "Good luck, brave man." She winked, laughing at his faux shocked expression, as he made his way over to sit at the table.

Aiden sat in one of the seats on one side of the table, glancing between them as he smiled politely. "Uh, I hope we didn't wake you up." He said, looking over at Antonia. "She likes to hit pans together in the morning."

"Funny." Antonia said from the stove.

"Actually." Booth said, watching Temperance give him a pointed glare, he stopped.

"You didn't wake us. We were getting up anyway." Temperance said, glancing to Antonia. Antonia dished out the breakfast onto the plates, and Aiden glanced over.

"Uh, I'll get you guys coffee." He said, smiling politely, he walked quickly over to Antonia.

"You bailed pretty quickly." She teased.

"I didn't bail…I am getting them coffee." He whispered, pulling four mugs from the cupboard, he filled them with coffee.

Antonia scoffed playfully and carried the plates over to the table as Aiden balanced the four mugs. "So, you slept in my daughter's bed last night?" Booth said, as Aiden nearly dropped the mugs on the table.

"Booth." Temperance said, watching his eyes dance with a bit of humor, though she could sense more than a little bit of warning in his words.

"I was just making conversation." He shrugged.

"Make other conversation." She said, watching as Aiden sat down beside Antonia and stared at his plate, his ears bright red.

Booth shrugged, watching the younger man for a moment. "You probably shouldn't go through files that aren't directly case related." Booth said, watching Aiden's eyes lift for a moment and lock with Booth's.

"Dad." Antonia said softly.

"Booth." Temperance said, shaking her head.

"I just think that it's important to point out that curiosity can be a very dangerous thing." He said, watching as Aiden's eyes become a bit defiant.

"I understand, sir." He said, watching Booth's eyes soften a bit. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to call him sir, Aiden. Seeley, or Booth is fine." Temperance said, watching the young man give her a slight smile.

"I'm kind of starting to like the whole 'sir' thing." Booth shrugged.

"Dad." Antonia said, watching as her father give her an innocent shrug. She shook her head and sighed, glancing to Aiden. His hand moved toward her, and she grasped it tightly, as they continued to eat, and the conversation seemed to flow a little better.


	30. Saviors

The breakfast conversation was congenial and polite, and Booth kept his ribbing of Aiden to a minimum, as it seemed to keep the two women at the table happier. When breakfast was through, Booth stood up and took Temperance's plate, walking toward the sink to clean them.

"Well, I am going to go upstairs and get ready for work." Temperance said with a smile as she sipped the last of her coffee. She looked to Antonia and Aiden as they nodded with slight smiles. "Will you be at the lab today?" Temperance asked, watching Antonia nod her head. "How is your head feeling this morning?"

"I'm feeling much better." She said, squeezing Aiden's hand beneath the table. "I'll be at work. I need to stop at my place on my way in." She said.

"I'm glad you're feeling better." Temperance replied, standing up, her eyes flickering to Booth as he scrubbed one of the plates. "I expect that you and your father would like to have a discussion at some point today." She said, listening to Booth drop the plate he was rinsing into the sink, she looked in his direction. He glanced to her sheepishly and then turned his head quickly back to the task at hand.

"Hot water." He muttered.

Antonia swallowed hard, and felt Aiden squeeze her hand this time. She nodded her head with a slight smile. "Yeah." She said, glancing to Aiden as she stood up. He stood up as well, grabbing her plate from her before she could bring it to the sink. He watched her shake her head as he walked toward the sink, and Booth looked up at him and moved out of his way so that he could clean the dishes that he had brought over.

"I'm going to go run up and take a quick shower." Booth said, glancing to Temperance. "See you at the office, Fitz." He said quickly as he excused himself.

As soon as Booth left the room, Antonia moved toward Temperance, and was quickly embraced tightly by her. "I love you, sweetheart." She said softly in her daughter's ear. "I hope the letter helped."

Antonia nodded into her mother's shoulder, resting her head for a moment as she felt her mother's long fingers running through her hair soothingly. "Thank you for your help." Antonia whispered into her mother's ear, pulling away for a moment, she smiled into her mother's eyes.

"Never a problem." Temperance said, pushing a stray piece of hair behind her ear. She took a step back and watched Aiden wash the other two dishes. "Aiden, I look forward to seeing you again soon."

"Same here, Doctor Brennan. Have a good day." He said, glancing back to her with a smile as he put the dishes into the dishwasher.

"Aiden, we've moved beyond the 'ma'am', and 'Doctor Brennan' portion of our relationship. You've been dating Antonia for quite a while now. I think that it's alright if you call me Temperance, or Tempe in my home." She said, watching his ears turn red for a moment, a small smile lifting on her lips.

"Okay." He nodded, shifting his gaze to Antonia, and back up to her again. She winked at him and gave Antonia a knowing smile as she turned and walked out of the kitchen.

Aiden turned and leaned on the counter, looking down at Antonia's keys as he took them into his hand. "What are you doing?" Antonia asked, approaching Aiden, she leaned across the counter slightly as he continued to fiddle with her keys.

He looked up at her and smiled. "Oh, you know." He shrugged. "I'm just adding to your burden." He said with a smile as he held up the keys and handed them over to her.

She smiled when she saw the silver key to his apartment dangling from the keyring with the rest of the keys. "You're a sneaky one, Aiden Fitzgerald." She whispered, leaning further over the counter, he leaned toward her and dropped a kiss on her lips. "I love you." She said, watching his nose scrunch a bit as he smiled.

"I love you, Tex." He said, watching her smile brighten even more. "You're going to talk to your dad?" He whispered, watching her nod slightly as she leaned in for another kiss, one that he was more than happy to give her. "I am going to get back to my place for a shower and a change of clothes." He said, touching her hand across the counter, he gently rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. "I will see you soon."

"If not soon, I'll see you tonight." She said, nodding toward the keys, he smiled and kissed her again. He released her hand and walked around the counter. "Have a good day."

"I will try my best." He winked. He walked toward the door and slipped his shoes on. He put his coat on and watched as she walked toward him. She reached out and gently grasped his coat and pulled him toward her. "Call me if you need to talk." At his words, she wrapped her arms around him, tucking them beneath his jacket, she could feel his warm body beneath her touch as she rested her head on his chest. "I'll probably be at the lab this morning, now that I think of it." He said, kissing the top of her head. "We're going to be interviewing squints."

"Interrogating." She said looking up at him, lifting an eyebrow. "You're going to be interrogating interns."

"Eh, same thing." Aiden teased as he watched her shake her head. He smiled at her and dropped a kiss on her forehead. "I look forward to interrogating you."

"You do, do you?" She asked, her eyes sparkling at him as she laughed and rested her forehead on his chest.

"Oh yeah. I'm going to make you tell me all of your secrets." He said, his voice getting deeper as his eyes darkened, and she smiled when she looked up and saw the passion in his eyes.

"I look forward to your interrogation as well, Agent Fitzgerald... but just remember, my father and Ace will be in that room as well. How much do you really want them to know?"

"Shit." Aiden cringed, his eyes still dark, his smile still there.

"Mmhm..." She said, giggling into his chest. "Go on, get out of here." She said, giving him another squeeze before she kissed him tenderly.

"I see how it is... love 'em and leave 'em." He said with a laugh. "Have a good day."

"You too." She said, letting him go reluctantly, he slipped quietly out the door and closed it securely behind him. She watched the door for a few moments as his shadow disappeared off the porch, and she let out a soft sigh. She turned around and nearly squeaked when she saw her father standing in the doorway of the kitchen dressed in all but his tie and jacket, his hair still damp from his shower. "Dad." She said, shaking her head with a nervous laugh as he smiled over at her.

"I didn't mean to startle you." He said, watching his daughter's feet remain planted on the floor, her eyes holding a questioning expression. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm okay." She nodded. She could feel a slight knot in the pit of her stomach as she watched him stand there nervously. "Are you okay?" She asked, a small smile playing at the corner of her lips. "Dad?" She said, still feeling the awkward anxiety between them, she finally moved forward. "I'm sorry for what I said last night." She said, her voice strong and confident as she silently wished she had Aiden's hand in hers to encourage her to continue. "I was just… I…"

"Your mother gave you the letter." Booth said, finally allowing himself to move, he walked to the counter and sat on one of the barstools, gently patting the one next to it for her to join him.

"Yes." Antonia said, slipping onto the barstool, she looked directly into her father's eyes. They matched in color, intensity, and fear. "Dad, I…" She said, turning her head, she felt his touch on her chin, lightly encouraging her to look at him.

"Look at me when you talk, please." He said, catching the sparkle in her eye. "I need to see what you're saying too."

"Dad, we don't have to..."

"I was planning on leaving." Booth said, watching her expression refuse to change. "Just like the letter said. I planned on leaving."

"Would you have?" Antonia asked. "Could you have? If I was never taken that night. Could you have really left us?"

"No." Booth said, shaking his head, a slight sarcastic tone in his voice as he watched the tears in her eyes. "I was a stupid man, Antonia. I had spent far too many days alone, trying to get from one day to the next. I never talked to anyone, I had nobody to keep me in check. Life was black and white, and I was stuck in it." He watched her eyes remain focused on his. "Do you remember when I came to see you, and I had a black eye?"

Antonia's lip lifted a bit. "Oompa punched you." She said, almost amused by the story.

"Right." Booth laughed. "Max really had a mean right hook." Booth said with a shake of his head. "That was the first time in years that I had talked to anyone from my previous life, Antonia. Until that moment, I had been completely invisible to anyone but you." He watched her head tip just slightly, a movement that immediately reminded him of her mother. She had a pensive, thoughtful look on her face, and he could feel that stare looking into him. "I talked to your Oompa, and I told him my plan, and he didn't believe it for a second. He believed it even less when he saw you and I together. I don't think that he would have let me leave. I think he'd sooner knock me out, chain me to the radiator in your mother's apartment, and let her find out that way." He said with a slight smirk as he listened to his daughter's laughter. "My intentions were to leave, but my reality was so tangled up with a little girl with dark brown eyes, and a smile that could light up the darkest room." He whispered, reaching forward to run his thumb over her forehead. "I had you all to myself then." He whispered. "You're not mine anymore. You found someone else to share your pain with."

"Daddy." She swallowed, tipping her head into his hand.

"Don't 'daddy' me, kid. You've found someone else to rely on. It's okay."

"Dad." She said, lifting her head, she scowled slightly at him. "Don't do that." She shook her head at him. "Don't do that."

"Don't do what?"

"Don't pull the jealousy card on me, that's unfair to me. I need this, I needed this. I needed a catalyst. I needed to be pushed, I needed to be reminded. Aiden was the catalyst, and he didn't mean to hurt me. I trust that, I believe that. He loves me, Dad. It's different." She shook her head as she tried to stand up, stopping when he reached for her hand before she fled.

"Toni." He said, and her eyes flicked to his as she stopped her retreat. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that we didn't talk about all of this sooner." He said, taking her hand, his thumb rubbed over the small scar on her wrist from so long ago. "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry for." She said, resting her hand palm to palm with his as she ran her thumb over the scar on his wrist as well. "I understand what happened that day now. I understand why everyone was where they were. It doesn't make it less sad when I think of Lola, or when I think of you getting hurt for me. I know why you did that, Dad. I know why you covered my body with yours that day, why you held me so tightly. I know. I know why you sent Ace for me, and why you didn't come for me. I understand, I know." She said, as tears began to betray her strength.

"I know, and I appreciate, and I love you, and I do need you, I do rely on you, there's no other you, Dad. You said in your letter that Deuce was supposed to be a figment of my imagination, and that's all he ever was, because you, Dad. You're the most real person in my life, you've always been. Deuce is just a dusty old elephant with stale makeup and a bad stitch job." She shrugged. She watched her father laugh a little with tears in his eyes, and she grinned through her tears. "Ace is horrible with a needle and thread." She said, reaching up to touch her father's laughing face, her palms resting on his cheeks. "You cannot, and will not ever be replaced in my heart, Dad. There will never, ever be anyone that I trust like I trust you. There will never, ever be anyone that I love, like I love you. Do you understand that, Dad?" She asked, her voice a bit hoarse as she watched his jaw set. "Do you understand?" She asked again, with a bit more force. She could feel him nod in her hands, his eyes closing as he tried to blink back the tears. "I need you to say it."

"I understand." He said, opening his eyes. He touched her hands from his face, and carefully grasped her hands in his. "I would never have left, Toni. I would have had to swallow my pride at some point. I think that it would have been a far bigger betrayal if I left then. Don't get me wrong, I think that your mom would have been fine without me, I think that eventually she would have been able to move on. I think that she would have found happiness again, but I knew that I would never, ever be happy until I was able to be with her again. I love you both so much, Toni. You have saved me more times than you will ever know." He said, reaching up to wipe the tear from her cheek. "You are my Saint, you are my guardian angel. I was lost, and you found me. I'm so afraid that I'm going to lose you."

"Where am I going to go, Dad?" She asked, tipping her head. "I live and breathe the lab. I love my job, I love working with you and Mom and Ace, and everyone at the lab. I have no plans to go to another lab. I haven't actually lived in your house for at least six years now, even if I do act like I live here. This is my home, this is my purpose. I'm not going anywhere."

"You can't control everything, Antonia."

"And neither can you, Dad. This is all your fault, you know. Raising me to be a contributing member of society." She said, watching as a small smile crept onto his lips. "You said in your letter that you wanted me to find someone that I could share my memories with. You can't be upset if I simply did what you wanted me to do." Antonia said, tilting her head.

"You love him?" Booth asked, watching his daughter smile slightly.

"I do, and he loves me."

"So I should probably stop picking on him so much?" Booth asked, watching her smile.

"I think he'd like that. It's bad enough that you and Ace treat him like a freshman in a college fraternity. I don't want him to regret going into the FBI, and I certainly don't want him to regret dating me because my father is overstepping his authority."

Booth gave her an offended gasp as he watched her smile. "Overstepping my authority? That's ridiculous! I don't do that!"

"Yes you do." Temperance said as she walked into the room with Booth's tie and jacket. She handed them to him, ignoring his obvious look of offense.

"Bones, the dark blue tie? Ugh." he complained, dropping the entire conversation with Antonia as he looked up at his wife.

"You have interns to interview today." Temperance said.

"Interrogate." Booth and Antonia said at the same time, their eyes meeting in a humored smirk.

"Alright you two..." Temperance said, shaking her head. "You, go start the car... and you... go home and get dressed, you have a job." Temperance said, watching as her daughter climbed from the barstool and swiped at a stray tear in her eye.

"See you later, kid." Booth said, as he finished tying the tie, he pulled it up to see his daughter in front of him, her hands poised to help. She reached forward and straightened the tie as she looked up into his eyes.

"I love you, Dad." She said, wrapping her arms around him tightly, she kissed his cheek and flitted out of the kitchen.

Booth sat there for a moment, his eyes flicking to Temperance as she stood watching him. "What?"

"Nothing." She said as she shook her head. "Let's go." She nodded toward the door. "Chop, chop." She said awkwardly, listening to Booth's laugh as he walked to the door to grab his coat.


	31. Interrogation

Antonia walked into the lab a little after 8am, and looked around curiously at the oddly quiet space that was usually teeming with activity. She stepped across the floor toward her mother's office, when she heard the door to one of the conference rooms open, and Booth's head popped out. She looked over, and he tipped his head toward the door. She shifted the bag on her shoulder, and continued toward the room, finding that the conference room table held six of seven interns, sitting quietly. Their eyes were all downcast, their hands on the table. Booth pointed to one of the chairs, catching his daughter's curious glance. His eyes were stern and serious, though she could sense that there was a bit of it that was just there for show. She glanced to the door, and to her father as she sat down, sliding the bag down her shoulder to the floor as she sat in one of the chairs.

There was an air of tension, and a bit of sadness that was wafting through the room, and Antonia was sure it had to do with the loss of one of their own. She allowed her eyes to gaze across at the interns that were in the room as she tried to place the one that was missing. She assumed what the FBI had chosen to do, was to sequester the interns in one room together, while they 'interviewed' each of them. Booth was relegated to babysitter while her mother and Ace, and possibly Aiden were interviewing in another room. She realized at this point that Emma was the intern that was currently being interviewed. Her eyes flashed to her father again, and she watched as his eyes raked over each intern, watching their every move. He watched for twitches and ticks, he watched for nervous sweats, or maybe even a distracting outburst. At this point, Antonia noted, everyone seemed fairly calm, though sad.

Booth's eyes met with hers for a moment, and he narrowed his just slightly as he tried to read the concern in her eyes. They lightened just a bit and she flicked her eyes to her folded hands on the table. The door opened, and Booth looked up, as Emma walked into the room, her eyes raking over everyone else in the room, stopping briefly on Antonia, her eyes narrowing a bit as she sat down. Ace looked around the room. "Doctor Booth, may we have a word with you?" he asked sternly.

Antonia nodded, glancing around the room as she lifted her bag and carried it with her, passing her father as he kept his attention on the silent interns before him. Antonia followed behind Ace, and they walked toward Temperance's office. He said nothing, keeping his hard edge as they stepped toward the door. He opened the office door and ushered her inside. Her eyes spied her mother behind her desk, her lips turned in a tight smile. She glanced to Aiden, who sat in the chair in the corner and gave him a small courteous wave.

"Okay." Ace said, sitting down in the chair by the desk, he sighed. "Doctor Booth, you're aware of why we're here, correct?"

Antonia lifted her eyebrow a bit and nodded. "Yes." She glanced to Temperance, who seemed to have relaxed since her daughter entered the room.

"We just need a few things on the record, you understand."

"Yes." She replied.

"First of all, how the hell hard did that asshole punch you?" Ace asked, glancing to Temperance. "You said she was punched, she's lucky he didn't break her damn eye socket." Ace said, looking at Antonia's face.

"Thanks, Doctor Harding." Antonia snorted. "What do you need to know?" She asked, tipping her head. "For the investigation."

Ace shook his head and sighed, "Okay, so… Prior to the dismissal of Mr. Alex Gordon from the Jeffersonian…"

"Suspension." Antonia replied. "He was simply suspended."

"Okay, prior to his suspension, what was your relationship with Mr. Gordon."

"Non-existent." She said, lifting an eyebrow. "He was a coworker at best, and a pest at worst. I held no ill will against him, just wanted him to leave me alone."

"Were you aware that he was telling people that he was in a romantic relationship with you?" Ace said, staring at the pad of paper as he wrote something down.

Antonia's eyes flicked to Aiden, her mother, and back to Ace. "Excuse me?" Her ears began to burn in anger as she scowled. "He what?"

"Um, well…" Ace said as he pulled out a small envelope and spread photos on the desk, she looked down at the pictures of Alex's bedroom, and the wall that he had dedicated to Antonia. "These were found in the victim's bedroom, as well as…an interview with his mother that confirmed that." Ace said softly.

Antonia just gaped at the photos, her eyes darting up to Ace as she snapped her mouth closed. "I don't… I just… I…"

"So you're saying that there was no relationship?"

"No!" Antonia exclaimed, her cheeks starting to burn with embarrassment. "No! Never!"

"Okay, okay…" Ace said, a small smile on his lips, he watched her glare directed toward him. "We just had to ask. So you were unaware of his affection toward you?"

"I knew that he had an infatuation. I didn't think that he wanted to kidnap me and force me to be his basement bride." She said, feeling a tight knot in her stomach, she heard a slight snort coming from Aiden, and she turned to face him, her eyes daggers. He sat up straight and swallowed hard. "Do you find this amusing, Agent Fitzgerald?"

"No Ma'am." He said, watching her eyebrow lift and her eyes narrow.

She turned her attention back to Ace. "Is there anything else, Agent Harding? I have work that I need to get back to."

Ace nodded, "When was the last time that you saw Mr. Gordon?"

"On the day he was suspended." She replied. "I believe it was February 13th. When he left the building after his suspension, I never saw him again."

"So you didn't see him in the Founding Father's bar that evening?"

"Uh, no." She said, watching Ace lift his eyebrow. "I was with Aiden that night."

"So you didn't talk to Alex Gordon at the bar that evening?"

"No." She said angrily. "I walked into the bar, sat at a booth and waited for Aiden." She said, starting to get frustrated. "Did someone say they saw me there with him? I had a drink, and then went to the bar to…" She stopped.

"What?"

"Was he there?" She asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if someone saw me speak to him, it was incidental, and I wasn't paying attention. Also, if you're going to just keep your timeline correct, technically that's the same day." She said, with a slight sarcastic smirk. "I wasn't particularly in a social mood that evening, Agent Harding. I went to the bar, and got a few drinks, and headed back to the table. I didn't notice anyone, and I am fairly sure that I didn't speak to anyone other than the bartender."

"Fair enough." Ace nodded. "Okay, so where were you after you left the bar."

Antonia bit her lip. "I went home with Aiden."

"So you stayed with Aiden in his apartment."

"Yes." She said, her voice showing her frustration. "I didn't kill Alex, and I didn't share any information with him. He illegally copied the files, and he got in too deep. It's clear that he was killed with the same murder weapon as the other victim. Why am I here? Why are you asking all of these questions? You all know where I was!"

"Toni, we need to ask the same questions to you, as we asked them. You just are a little more connected to the case." He said, his voice holding a bit of a coddling tone that earned him an angry glare.

"Are you enjoying this?" She asked, tilting her head.

"Ant." Temperance said, sensing an impending argument, Antonia snapped her head to look at her mother and Temperance shook her head. She watched as the anger drained from her daughter's face.

"What else did you want to discuss, Agent Harding?" She asked, her voice going nearly robotic as she stared into Ace's eyes.

"Where were you on the evening of February 14th?" He asked, watching Antonia shake her head slightly.

"I was in the lab. I never left the lab. I was working on the William Boone case, and then Agent Fitzgerald came with files and dinner. It's all on the surveillance. We were there through the evening until he got a phone call from my sister, at about midnight. We went to her apartment, and … home." She said, pausing.

"You went directly from her apartment to your apartment?"

"No." Antonia sighed. "We went to her apartment, then to the police station, and then Aiden took me home with him. On the 15th, I was at my apartment for most of the day, and according to the case, Alex was murdered at a little after two in the morning. I was throwing up my dinner at two in the morning because my sister's ex-boyfriend can't aim properly and should have hit my boyfriend in the face and not me. Concussion." She snapped, glaring at Ace. "Then I went to Aiden's apartment."

"You've been spending a lot of time at Agent Fitzgerald's apartment."

"Ace!" Antonia snapped.

"Sorry." He said sheepishly. "Um, okay…" He said as he looked through his notes. "I think we're good here."

"Are we?" She asked with an annoyed snarl.

"Yes, you can go back to the room now." He said, nodding toward the door. "Fitz, can you go back to the room and bring back Charles Morris? He's the tall gangly intern with the weird mole on his face."

"Uh, yeah." Aiden said as he got up and opened the door, walking out into the lab with Antonia. She shouldered the bag as she walked, keeping her eyes on the conference room door. As soon as Temperance's office door closed, he tried to get her attention. "Hey, Tex…" He said, watching as her brisk walk stopped suddenly. "Hey."

She turned around and looked into his eyes. "Hey, what?"

"Are you alright?" He asked, sensing the intense frustration that was building in her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She said quickly. "I'm embarrassed, and frustrated, and angry, and a little bit hungry." She said.

Aiden chuckled. "Hungry?" He asked, lifting his eyebrow.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you questioning my feelings?"

"No Ma'am." He said, holding up his hand, he smiled.

"There it is again." She said, nodding toward him.

"What?"

"You calling me Ma'am." She shook her head. "I'm two years younger than you." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Actually three." He said, shrugging, he moved closer to her and looked down into her eyes as he watched the playful sparkle reappear.

"Cradle robber." She smirked. "I have to go back to the room now, Agent Fitzgerald." She said, nodding toward the conference room.

"Uh, right." He said, nodding his head. "The room."

"Perhaps I will see you later."

"Perhaps."

"Perhaps I will be spending even more time in your apartment this evening." She shrugged.

"Let them talk." He smiled.

"Haters gonna hate..." She said, winking at him as she turned and walked briskly toward the room, with Aiden right on her heels.


	32. Cutting Edge

The interns spent another half hour within the conference room, silent and solemn until the door opened the final time, and Hodgins poked his head in. Booth glanced over and then back to the table. "What do you need, Hodgins?"

Hodgins looked around the room and then back to Booth. "I need Doctor Booth, and one of the interns."

"Which intern?"

"Doctor B. and Harding said Morris and Booth were cleared."

"Morris, Booth. Go with Hodgins." Booth said, nodding toward the door.

"Thanks." Hodgins said as Antonia and Charles Morris stood up without looking at the other interns and walked briskly out into the lab. Hodgins led them to the back of the lab toward one of the rooms, and as they stepped into the room, Antonia's eyes widened.

"Knives." She said, glancing to Hodgins. The entire table was covered in knives of all shapes, sizes, and types. There were nearly two hundred knives in total. The intern was equally as shocked by the sheer number of sharp implements in the room.

"Uh, yeah." Hodgins said with a bit of a nervous smirk. "We have to find the murder weapon."

"Process of elimination." Antonia said, glancing to Mr. Morris, who glanced to her and nodded in the affirmative. "Once we find the murder weapon, we can compare the weapons of choice for the guys that Boone was working with under cover."

"Exactly." Hodgins said with a nod. "I'll leave you two to this. I have some analysis to do on some other samples." He said, nodding toward his office next door.

Antonia glanced to the intern and back at Hodgins. "I thought you were going to help."

"I think you two have this under control." Hodgins chuckled as he excused himself.

Antonia looked up at Morris with a raised eyebrow, and Morris smirked at her slightly, his eyes flickering to the knives. "Are you okay, Doctor Booth?" he asked, watching as she took a deep breath, letting it out in a sigh. "You look a little uncomfortable."

"Yes." She said, looking down at the table of knives. "I'm fine." She smiled curtly. "Why don't we go over what we know about the murder weapon from the victim first?" She said, moving toward an empty table with a pad and pen.

* * *

Antonia and Morris worked on their profile of the murder weapon for several minutes. The conversation was professional and courteous, though Morris could tell that Antonia seemed quite nervous. He stopped for a moment and took a step back. She looked up at him and swallowed hard. "What is it, Mr. Morris?"

"Are you sure you're okay, Doctor Booth?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Why do you insist that something is wrong?"

"I don't know, your hand is shaking, and you kind of have this look in your eye that if I make a wrong move, you're going to shove that pen in my eye." He said, laughing a bit nervously.

"Why would I use the pen when I have all of those knives over there?" She asked, lifting an eyebrow, she watched him chuckle nervously. "I am fine, Mr. Morris. I appreciate your concern." She continued writing for a moment.

"May I ask you a question?" Morris asked, watching as Antonia lifted her eyes from the paper. She had a patient look in her eyes, and seemed to have relaxed just a little. "Why don't you interact much with the interns here?"

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I mean, when there's a case. You usually work alone. I was just wondering why that is." He asked, shifting in the chair a bit, he watched her brown eyes focus on him.

"Why do you think I do that?" She asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Personally? I think it's just your process. I think that you feel that you work better on your own and that you would prefer to get things done right the first time instead of waiting for an intern to figure it out."

"You're very perceptive, Mr. Morris. I've been told that I don't play well with others." She said, a slight smirk on her lips as she watched him smile. "I do feel that most of the interns feel either threatened by me, or are unsure how to interact with me because of my connection and familiarity of the lab. It makes for a very uncomfortable situation."

"Having your mother as a boss is both a blessing and a curse, I'm sure." He said.

"You have no idea." She said, sighing. "I appreciate your boldness, Mr. Morris."

"Well, I understand the desire to work on your own. I'm a bit of an introvert. My wife says I am too quiet, that I need to learn to speak up, ask questions." He said with a shrug.

"Well, be sure to tell her that you made a new friend at work today. Sometimes it's better to be the quiet one, that way you get your work done while the loud ones are still jabbering." She smiled, looking back at the paper, she wrote something else down and turned in the chair toward the table of knives. "Shall we divide and conquer?" she asked.

"Sounds like a plan." He said, as they walked to the table and began their work.

* * *

Once Antonia and Morris started their analysis, the process went quickly. In nearly an hour, they had whittled their list of possible weapons down to six knives that looked remarkably similar.

"I think Doctor Hodgins mixed in a couple of his steak knives from home in this inventory just to try to throw us off." Antonia said with a laugh as she looked up at Morris. They placed each knife into an evidence bag and set them on the table.

Morris laughed and glanced to Antonia as they stepped to the door. Once in the lab, they realized that there was a bit more action, but not as much as usual. Antonia glanced to Morris and sighed. "It's really a weird day today." She said softly.

"It kind of is a weird day, isn't it?" he said, noticing the same ominous quiet.

"Are you guys finished with the inventory already?" Hodgins asked from the platform.

"If your intention was to keep us out of your hair, Doctor Hodgins, perhaps you should have given us a tougher challenge." Antonia said with a laugh as Morris chuckled beside her.

Hodgins laughed. "Why don't you guys get the data on those knives to the FBI, and we'll work on the next project." He said, watching as Antonia and Morris nodded and walked off to get the data.


	33. Working Lunch

Aiden stepped into the diner a little after noon with Booth and Ace leading the way. They stepped through the crowded diner on their way to the table in the corner and sat down, surprised that there was a spot for them. Booth indicated to the waitress that they'd have their usual, and they settled in to discuss the case. They had four suspects lined up to talk to, and they needed to determine the order that they were going to bring them in on. They also had two interns that were possibly linked with leaked information at the Jeffersonian. Aiden listened to Ace and Booth talk back and forth when he heard a familiar laugh ring out through the diner. His eyes flicked up, and he followed the sound of her laughter to the counter in the far corner. Antonia was laughing as she sat facing someone, her face was red as she covered her mouth and continued giggling. He smiled a bit at her laugh, and was then roused from his glance by Booth.

"Fitz? Hey." Booth said, flicking the younger man's hand as his attention moved back to the other agent.

"Sorry." He said, taking one more quick look over at Antonia before moving his attention to Booth. "What were you saying?"

"You were in on the interviews with the interns. What do you think?" Booth asked.

"That Peter guy kind of was a bit weepier about Alex's death, they may have been friends. I think Emma either is involved in some way, or at the very least not really focused on the job." He said, shrugging. "She kept bringing up Antonia and saying that it had to be her, pointed out the black eye and said that she must have gotten in a scuffle. She was really throwing blame left and right. I don't know, she just gives me a bad feeling." Aiden shuddered a little.

"She also refused to look at me for the entire interview, and kept talking directly to you." Ace said with a laugh. "She's got it bad for you, Fitzy." He laughed.

Antonia's laugh rang out through the diner again, sending Aiden's eyes in her direction again. He could see that she was talking to one of the interns from the Jeffersonian, the 'tall gangly intern with the weird mole on his face' as Ace had referred to him. Her face was as animated as he had ever seen it, and he watched as she talked with her hands, her eyes sparkling. She was in the middle of a story, and he wished that he was the one that she was talking to.

"Speaking of having it bad." Booth said, nudging Aiden as their lunch arrived. "You can invite her over here if you want."

"Nah, she's talking with one of the interns." Aiden said, turning toward Booth, he caught the older agent's smirk, and his eyes narrowed. "What?"

"Nothing." He shrugged.

"Looks like mole man is honing in on your territory there, Fitz." Ace said, watching as Ace and Booth laughed.

"First of all." Aiden said. "Tex and I are just fine... and second... would you like me to go over there and tell her that you just referred to her as 'territory'?" Aiden asked, watching Ace's eyes widen.

"Uh, no." Ace laughed nervously. "No thank you."

"I didn't think so." Aiden said as Booth laughed as they at their lunch.

* * *

"So why are you so quiet around the lab? Out of all of the interns, I don't think I've seen you speak up at all." Antonia asked, dragging a fry through some ketchup, she popped it into her mouth.

"I don't really have a great rapport with many of the interns. I'm a little older than them, I'm quiet, and I think they are a little bothered by this." He said, pointing to the birthmark on his face. It was a large dark birthmark across his cheek, a noticeable blemish to most people.

"Your birthmark?" She said, looking at him. "I didn't even notice it until you pointed it out. It's just skin pigmentation." Antonia shrugged. "You probably didn't even notice my black eye." She said, watching as he shook his head and smirked. "What?" She laughed loudly.

"I am pretty sure that just short of the blind, everyone noticed your black eye. Are you a boxer in your spare time?" He asked, listening to her laugh as she covered her mouth to stifle it.

"No." She laughed. "I was involved in an altercation with my younger sister's ex-boyfriend. He was drunk and stupid...he suffered from poor dexterity and aim."

"He was clearly unstable." Morris laughed. "I know your boyfriend didn't do it, because he probably would have ended up in the hospital if he laid a hand on you."

"You mean because of my father?"

"No, you. You'd probably have eviscerated him." Morris laughed, again listening to the musical sound of her laughter as she shoved another fry into her mouth. "I saw the way you handled those knives today." He said, watching her laugh. "Everyone in the lab knows not to go near you when you're in the ballistics room."

He watched her ears turn a bit red at this, her eyes averting to her meal as she swiped another fry through her ketchup. "So you think everyone is afraid of me?" She asked. "I don't want everyone to be afraid of me." She said, putting the fry into her mouth.

"Nah, they're just easily intimidated." He shrugged.

"So you're not intimidated?"

"Nah. Unless you want me to be, then I could at least pretend." He said with a shrug. He chuckled when she laughed.

"Excuse me, Miss." A voice came from behind Antonia as she turned, looking up into Aiden's eyes, her smile became even brighter. "Your laughter is very distracting. Us very important FBI agents over there are trying to have a conversation. We're going to have to ask you to keep it down." He said, putting his hand on her back, he watched her make a face at him and he mimicked it.

Antonia laughed, glancing over to her father and Ace sitting across the diner, she waved. "You guys are like the three stooges." She said, looking up at Aiden again. "Aiden, this is Charlie. You know one another, you had to interrogate him earlier." She laughed.

"Interview. We interviewed him earlier." Aiden said, holding his hand out to shake Charlie's hand. "It's nice to informally meet you, Charlie." He said with a chuckle. "I didn't know you were coming here for lunch." He said to Antonia.

"You didn't ask." She said, accepting a kiss on the cheek. "Are you guys working?"

"Yeah, but I wanted to come over and say hi." He said, glancing to Charlie and back to Antonia.

"I'm glad you did. I would have been disappointed if you didn't." She said, squeezing his hand.

"I'm going to go head back to my table. So your father and Ace can mock me and heckle me for coming over here to say hi." Aiden said.

"Such a brave man you are, Aiden Fitzgerald." She said, leaning up for him to drop a kiss on her lips. "I love you." she said softly.

"I love you." He said, letting his hand linger for a moment in Antonia's hand. "It was nice to meet you, Charlie."

"Nice to meet you." Charlie said as Aiden squeezed Antonia's hand and headed back to his table. Charlie glanced to Antonia and noticed how she watched him walk back to the table to Ace and Booth. Her eyes were a bit starry, and she had a small smile on her lips.

Antonia took a deep breath and sighed lightly as Aiden waved over at her as he sat down. She waved at him and glanced to Charlie. "So, what were we talking about?" She asked, laughing a bit nervously.

"We were talking about how intimidating you are." Charlie laughed.

"Me? I'm not intimidating." She said, shaking her head, she shoved another fry into her mouth. "I'm just a genius, and everyone else is jealous." She said, shrugging.

"Oh, and you're modest too." Charlie laughed, as Antonia covered her mouth and laughed as well.


	34. Dinner and Dancing Around the Truth

**6:45pm-**

Aiden stepped out of the interview room followed by Harding. His exhaustion was showing in his eyes as he rubbed his palm into his eye and yawned. "Have a long night last night?" Ace asked, watching as Aiden looked up and drop his hand.

"It's been a long few days, honestly." He said, glancing toward the observation room, he yawned again.

"You'll never catch up when it comes to those Booth girls." Ace laughed as the younger agent gave him a slight smile and shook his head. The observation room door opened and Booth stepped out with Temperance, their eyes showing a concentrated determination. "What do you guys think?"

"He was definitely involved." Temperance said, glancing toward the interview room as she watched the other agents, as they all walked toward the bullpen together. "He has a history of threatening with a knife. According to the research, he was one of the major players in the gang that Boone was involved in. We have another member of the gang that is willing to say they saw him with Boone less than a month ago. We really should be looking into him more."

"He outright denied that Boone was in his gang. We showed him pictures from when he was undercover. That right there is a red flag." Booth said, leaning against Fitzgerald's desk as they walked into the bullpen. Aiden sat down in his chair, and Temperance and Ace stood nearby as they thought about what they had discussed with the suspect. "We already know that he was involved with Boone, but he acted like he had never even met him. It's not like his appearance changed or anything."

"Can we hold him on anything?" Temperance asked.

"We have him on possession charges from when we picked him up. I say we hold him and see what dirt we can dig up on him." Booth said, glancing to Aiden, who was sitting back in his chair, his eyes closed as he listened. "What do you think, Fitz?" He asked, giving the agent's chair a shove with his foot, the younger agent sat up and opened his eyes wide. He looked surprised, almost as if Booth had woken him up, and to Booth's glare he quickly glanced to Temperance.

"I say we hold him, go to his place and confiscate any weapons, and ask the folks that are close to him where he has been the last few nights." He watched Temperance smile, and flicked his eyes to Booth's stern, irritated glare. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"I think we're done here for tonight." Booth grunted as he watched Aiden arrange a few things on his desk, gathering a few files. "Fitz, Ace and I are going to go out for a few drinks, want to join us?"

Aiden looked over at Booth, and his eyes flicked to Harding. "You both know that I don't drink." He said, a smile lifting on his lips as he tossed a few files into a briefcase.

"You don't actually have to drink, man. " Ace said, watching the younger agent shake his head and chuckle.

"I'm sorry guys, I have plans tonight." He said, standing up, he glanced to Temperance, as she shook her head and glanced to Booth. "Very important, unbreakable plans."

"Plans, huh?" Booth asked, his eyes flicking to Ace as he smiled slightly.

"Alright, guys. Leave Agent Fitzgerald alone. He has plans, you have plans. Let's go. I have to get back to the lab to get my things, because I have plans." Temperance said as she tugged on Booth's arm. "Booth?"

Booth glanced to Aiden as he went through a few more things on his desk, putting a few things away. He turned to Harding. "Ace?" He said, looking over at Harding. "Get Torres situated, and we'll meet over at Founding Fathers?"

"That's the plan." Ace said as he nodded to Booth. "See you over there." He said, watching as Temperance pulled Booth toward the elevator to leave.

Aiden gathered another file and set it in his briefcase, glancing to Harding as he watched the other agent watch him closely. "What?"

"Why don't you drink? If you don't mind me asking." Ace asked seriously, catching the movement of the agent's eyes toward the door before moving back toward Ace. "I mean, we've all gone out for drinks before, and all you do is nurse a beer. Why don't you drink?"

"Because the last time that I drank enough to get drunk, I killed my brother." Aiden said, sighing heavily. He glanced at his watch. "I really, really have to go, can't keep Tex waiting. She's cooking dinner tonight." He smiled as he grabbed his briefcase. "It's not a big deal, Ace. Don't worry about it. Goodnight." He said, waving to the other agent, he quickly made his way out of the bullpen toward the elevators without another word about it.

* * *

 **7:30 PM-**

Aiden stepped into the apartment building and could already smell the dinner that Antonia was preparing. He smiled to himself as he stepped in the doorway, watching as she moved around the kitchen quickly, stirring and dancing a bit, her earbuds firmly planted in her ears as he hung up his coat on the hook. He let the door close rather hard, enough to get her attention without scaring her, and when she turned around, a brilliant smile lit up her face.

"You're here." She smiled across at him, popping the earbuds from her ears, he set his briefcase down and waved over at her with a smile.

"That I am." He said, watching as she leaned against the counter. "What smells so good?"

"Dinner." She smiled, accepting a kiss over the counter, she smiled and turned back toward the stove.

"Looks like you found everything okay." He said, referring to the pots and pans and other cooking implements.

"I did." She smiled, watching him disappear down the hallway, tugging at his tie. "I hope you're hungry."

"Starving." He said, poking his head around the corner as he unbuttoned his dress shirt. "Your dad and Ace invited me out for drinks, but I told them I had other plans."

"Did they pick on you for those other plans?" She asked, smiling as she turned back to the stove.

"Your mom was there, so no." He laughed. "She knows how to reign them in." He stepped toward her and she turned into him, feeling his arms wrap around her as she rested her head on his chest for a second. He glanced to the stove, and kissed her head.

"You could have gone out with them if you wanted." She said, looking up at him, she smiled at his scrutinizing look. "I would have been deeply hurt and offended, and probably would have gone back to my apartment after stealing all of your dress shirts and pouring dinner on your bed... but you could have gone out with them." She smiled, scrunching her nose as he made a face at her.

"I appreciate your honesty." He laughed, dropping a kiss on her nose. "I'd much rather be here with you." He said, kissing her again as he moved from her embrace. "I'm just going to change, and I'll be right out." He said, feeling her tug at his shirt a bit, he moved back and kissed her lips tenderly. "I love you."

"There it is." She said, smiling against his mouth, he watched her eyes for a moment and let out a laugh. "I love you, too." She said tenderly as she watched him disappear again around the corner. She turned toward the stove and stirred the contents of the pot, glancing to the hallway for a moment as she smiled, her thoughts floating around in her head as she let out a soft sigh and continued to stir, losing herself in her thoughts.

"Mm…" He groaned as he appeared behind her, his arms wrapping around her as he looked over her shoulder, now dressed in a t-shirt and jeans. "What do we have here?"

"You're nosy." She said, looking up at him, she stirred and accepted a kiss on her cheek.

"Hungry, I'm hungry. You pronounced it wrong." He said, listening to her laugh. "You seem happy. Did you have a good day?"

"I had a good day." She nodded. "Despite the whole interrogation thing this morning."

"Interview." He mumbled into her neck. "It was an interview."

"Call it what you will, I didn't particularly appreciate Ace sticking his nose into our personal life." She said, her stance becoming a bit stiff as she put the spoon down and covered the pan, moving it off the burner. She turned off the stove and turned around to face Aiden.

"See, that's nosy." He said, kissing her nose.

"You're just hungry." She laughed.

"Yes." He said, pulling her backwards away from the stove, he buried his face in her neck as he started to growl.

"Aiden!" She squeaked as he lifted her off the ground and onto the counter, her head leaning down to rest on his forehead. "I have to finish dinner." She laughed.

"In a second." He said, watching her eyes for a moment. "How did the talk with your dad go?" He asked sincerely, watching her eyes as her guard began to be drawn. "Did it go well?"

"I think it went well." She said softly, nodding to him. "I think I understand the situation a lot more now. He's afraid of losing me."

"He thinks I'm going to kidnap you and take you away to some far off land and force you to cook for me?" Aiden asked playfully.

"Maybe." She shrugged. "You haven't even eaten yet, and already you're ready to kidnap me?"

"What can I say? I'm hungry!" He said, as he growled playfully and moved toward her tummy with his lips, listening to her laugh as she pushed at him. "Aiden, stop!" She laughed. "Stop!" She giggled as he looked up into her eyes again. She giggled and kissed his nose. "Let's eat." She said, wrapping her arms around him in a hug, she kissed his neck and hugged him close.

"Okay." He whispered, a bit of a soft sadness in his voice as she pulled back and looked into his eyes. She could see a shadow within the green pools before her. "After dinner, maybe we can talk about some of my stuff." He shrugged. "Would that be okay?"

"Sure." She smiled, tipping her head slightly, she watched the light return to his eyes as he suddenly grinned.

"Don't you dare." She said, a giggle in her voice as she slipped off the counter and took a step back.

"Don't I dare what?" He asked, smiling wickedly at her, he took a step forward.

"Aiden, I'm serious!" She said, taking another step back, she laughed as he started to move toward her, she let out a playful laugh and ran across the living room as he chased her, growling and tickling her until the buzzer on the oven let them know that dinner was ready.


	35. Basket Case

Ace and Booth sat at the bar at Founding Fathers, a companionable silence between them as they sipped at their drinks. It was a bit of a rowdy night, typical Friday in the city, so there were patrons all around. "So how much do you know about Fitz's past?" Ace asked, his eyes on Booth for a moment as Booth lifted an eyebrow.

"Fitz?"

"Yeah, tall gangly agent… a little smarmy, shacking up with your daughter." Ace said as he felt Booth's fist push at his shoulder.

"Cut that out." Booth said with a laugh. "He's a decent guy. Toni seems to like him a lot, Bones likes him." Booth shrugged. "His background check checked out. Why?"

"I don't know, he just has these quirks." Ace shrugged. "He's just…"

"He's not one of us, so you don't really trust him." Booth said, watching Ace shrug. "You mean because he's not social? So he doesn't drink, why is that weird?"

"He told me that he killed his brother." Ace said, lifting an eyebrow.

"If he committed murder, he wouldn't be in the FBI, and if he did and nobody knew about it, then I'm sure he wouldn't be blabbing it around, especially to a federal agent. He was probably just trying to get you off his back. Did you ask him what he meant?"

"No." Ace said. "He had to go."

"It's probably none of our business anyway." Booth said, popping a beer nut into his mouth. "Besides, I'd rather have a stone cold sober agent that minds his own business than one that goes around drinking their weight in whiskey spreading rumors about other people." Booth said, taking a sip as Ace coughed a little.

"You're an asshole, do you know that?" Ace laughed.

"I am well aware of that." Booth laughed as he sipped at his drink and leaned on the bar, a sly grin on his face.

* * *

When dinner was through, Aiden smiled across at Antonia as he stood up and picked up his plate. "That was so delicious." He said, watching Antonia look up at him with a small smile on her lips. "Seriously, Tex."

"So you enjoyed it?" She asked, feeling her cheeks burning just a little at his compliment, she watched as he approached her, leaning down to kiss her cheek.

"Is there anything you're not good at?" he whispered in her ear.

"Communication." She said, looking up into his eyes, she watched his wide eyed expression and laughed out loud as he laughed. "What? I'm being honest!" She laughed as he grabbed her plate and brought it to the sink. He started rinsing them off, and she jumped up and moved toward him. "You don't have to do the dishes, I can do the dishes."

"You cooked, I can do the dishes." He said, bumping her lightly with his hip as she laughed and bumped him back. "Thank you for a wonderful meal."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." She smiled, moving toward the table to help clear it, she glanced over to him and saw his eyes following her for a moment before turning his attention back to the dishes. She picked up the dish with the leftovers and moved toward the counter.

Aiden turned his head, seeing her coming and he smiled. "Have you ever thought of having kids?" He asked. His words rolling off his tongue just haphazardly. He saw a flash of panic on her face as she lost control of the dish in her hands. He turned and grabbed it before it hit the ground. "Geez, Tex!" He exclaimed, watching her grab it from his hands, she turned sharply and placed it on the counter. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." She said, ignoring his question and the near mess. "Yeah, I'm fine. Did you want to keep the leftovers?" She asked, glancing to Aiden as she stared into the dish.

"Sure." He said, watching her turn back toward the table, her demeanor suddenly skittish. "Tex, hey." He said, turning around as he turned off the running water, he watched her stop at the table.

"What?"

"Are you alright? I wasn't trying to freak you out, I was just asking a simple question." He said, watching her brow furrow.

"You didn't freak me out." She said, lifting the next dish up, she walked to the other side of the counter and put the dish down, watching as he shook his head and walked to the cupboard to find a container for the leftovers. "Aiden, you didn't freak me out." She replied again.

"You didn't answer the question yet." He said, looking over at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't understand the context." She replied, "I don't understand the motivation. What kind of question is that?" She asked, her voice almost accusatory.

"Nevermind, you don't have to answer it." He said, scooping the leftovers into a bowl. "I was just making conversation." He shrugged.

She walked to the table and picked up a few more items that needed to be put away and moved toward the refrigerator. "Yes, I've thought about it, no I'm not interested." She said quickly, avoiding looking at him for a moment as she arranged a few condiments in the refrigerator, she could sense him staring at her and avoided eye contact. "Why do you ask?" She asked, glancing toward him, he turned back to the sink.

"I was just wondering." He said softly.

When the table was clear and the dishes were cleaned, Aiden turned to see Antonia sitting at the table, her head in her hands as she stared down at the table. "Are you alright?" he asked, watching as she looked up at him. Her eyes were clear, and her expression was a forced smile.

"I'm fine." She said, glancing toward the hallway. "I think I'm just tired."

"I know I'm tired." He smiled. He stepped over to her and kissed her cheek, watching as she looked over at him, he let out a little growl, and she narrowed her eyes at him playfully. "I love you, Tex. You know that, right?"

"I do." She said, growling back at him, she turned quickly with her hands to his sides, listening to him yelp in surprise, she started tickling him. She laughed out loud as he tried to run from her, but moved quickly to lift her up over his shoulder. "Let me down!" She exclaimed as she laughed. He twirled her around for a moment as he laughed at her giggling, and moved toward the couch, where he deposited her softly. He leaned over her gently as her giggling subsided, and his face turned serious. "Why would you ask something like that? I mean, something had to have prompted it."

"I don't know, I was just thinking about some things, and wanted your opinion." He said, kissing her nose.

"I don't particularly relate well with children, and maybe it's because I'm not around them much, my nephews notwithstanding. It's also that I haven't found a suitable match." She shrugged, watching his eyes as she spoke, she thought that perhaps she may have offended him, but they remained clear and thoughtful. "There's no sense in thinking about children if you don't have a partner in it."

"Your mother didn't think so." He said, trying to tread lightly on the subject.

"My mother was also grieving. My mother was also older than I am, and had a lot more resources than I have. I am currently a workaholic with an apartment with no furniture, full of unpacked boxes and nothing in my refrigerator. I don't eat well, I don't sleep at night, and I get myself into violent situations." She said, pointing at her black eye. "I'm also a basket case." She smirked.

"You're not a basket case, don't say that." He laughed. "You're perfect."

"Hardly." She laughed. "What about you? Have you thought about children?" She asked, knowing that this was the first real conversation that they'd had about him, she didn't want to mess it up. "I assume it was on your mind."

"I was just thinking about my niece." He shrugged. "My brother wasn't ready for a kid, he was young and had no idea what he was doing." He said, as he turned and sat with his back against the couch. She turned onto her side and moved herself so she was resting on his shoulder. She kissed his cheek and he smiled sadly and tipped his head back and turned toward her so they were nose to nose. "I'm just thinking."

"That's good." She smiled sweetly. "Don't want your brain to start to get moldy." She said, laughing when he stuck his tongue out at her. "Talk to me more." She whispered, cuddling up to him as he watched her eyes twinkle and she pulled the blanket from the back of the couch over her. "Tell me about you."

"You look like you're gearing up to fall asleep." He laughed, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Stop stalling." She whispered. "Why are you so thoughtful?" She asked, running her fingers through his hair for a moment, she let her eyes wander to his ear, and her fingers traveled across his face as her gaze eventually landed back at his eyes once more.

"Tomorrow is my brother's birthday." He said, clearing his throat slightly, he lifted his head and sighed. "Would have been his birthday."

"Liam." She said, watching his eyes flick to hers.

"Yes."

"You miss him." She said, watching the sad smile on his face as he nodded slightly. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek and pressed her face against his as she tugged at his t-shirt a bit.

"What?" He asked, looking up at her.

"Come up here." She tugged again. "Come up here and talk to me, you're too far away."

"Oh yeah?" He asked, turning around, he tickled her a little as she laughed, and he climbed onto the couch behind her, pulling her body against him as she turned around carefully to face him, their bodies pressed together, their eyes focused and clear. "Better."

"Yes." She whispered, touching his cheek with her hand. She could see the pain in his eyes, and it was making her mouth a little dry, and she could feel a tension from him that she was unfamiliar with.

"So my brother was about three years younger than me." Aiden said softly. "He was definitely less mature, more adventurous, and definitely a little wilder than me." He said, watching her eyes as they refused to waver. "That's not to say that I was always this wonderfully clean cut gentlemen that you see before you." He said, hoping to elicit a laugh, but when it didn't come, he realized that she was entranced. He cleared his throat, feeling his ears start to burn a bit as his eyes flicked to the side. He felt her head move slightly, almost as if she were trying to follow his gaze. He took a deep breath and moved his eyes back to hers, watching the gentle tenderness that was waiting. The breath released slowly through his nose, and he cleared his throat again softly. "One night in June." He said, watching her carefully. "I was out at a bar drinking with some friends, and I was clearly over served." He said softly. "I was just a mess. I couldn't walk straight, couldn't see straight, and my friends weren't really in any shape to be driving. I had a bad day that day, and I was just miserable." He said with a hard swallow. "So the bartender was going to call me a cab, and I told him instead to call my brother. He had a kid, and she was up all hours of the night. Sometimes he'd take drives with her to get her to sleep."

"What's her name?" Antonia asked, watching his brow knit a bit at her question.

"Fiona." Aiden replied, watching a slight smile appear on Antonia's lips. "Her name is Fiona. Dark hair, green eyes just like Liam. She was just his pride and joy. Smart as can be too." He said proudly.

"So the bartender called him to come get you?"

"Uh, yeah." Aiden said, nodding softly, his eyes closing for a moment to escape from her imploring stare. "So the bartender called him, and he said he'd come because he had Fi in the car already, so he could come get me." He cleared his throat. He opened his eyes and could see a bit of sadness in her eyes that wasn't there before, as if she knew where the story was going. "He never showed up."

"Something happened?"

"He was at an intersection, light turned green and he went… and a drunk came out of nowhere and plowed into the driver's side of his car. Killed him instantly." He said, watching as a tear escaped her eye. "Fi was okay, but they had to extricate her… and I was so smashed that I didn't even know until the next day what had happened. I thought he just figured I was a damn drunk and left me there." Aiden said, squeezing his eyes tightly as he tried desperately not to cry. When he opened his eyes, he could see the sadness in her eyes. "Tex." He whispered.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, her voice high and full of sadness. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that." She whispered, wrapping her arm around him as she started to cry into his shoulder. He held her as she cried, and he could feel his own tears starting to fall. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Oh, Tex." He whispered, wrapping both arms around her as he kissed her cheek and ear, holding her so close to him. "It's okay. I'm okay." He whispered. "I love you."

"I'm sorry." She whimpered against him.

"What are you so sorry about?" He asked, watching her eyes lift to him. "You have nothing to be sorry for. It was a long time ago, and you had no idea." He shook his head. "You didn't know." He watched her for a moment as she sighed lightly. "You're a basket case." He whispered, watching as her jaw dropped slightly and a smile lifted on his lips.

"Jerk!" She exclaimed with a bit of a laugh, she pushed at him. He didn't expect her push to be so hard, and with the quick movement he didn't have time to grab her as she tumbled backwards off the couch and onto the floor. He paused for a moment after she disappeared over the edge of the couch, and just as he was about to check on her, she popped out from the floor and leapt onto him.

"Tex!" He laughed as she landed on him.

"I'll give you basket case!" She exclaimed as she sat on him and tickled him, holding him down until the tears that were falling were from laughter instead of sadness.


	36. Mother of All Surprises

It was 7:30 when Aiden woke with a start. His face had been buried in the pillow beside him, and he could almost feel her body still against his. He ran his hand over the sheets, finding that they were cool to the touch, and his brow furrowed as he listened for movement in the apartment. He grunted sleepily as he moved under the blankets, rolling over to grab his boxers, and his jeans as he continued to listen. His bathrobe was draped on the chair beside the small desk in his bedroom, indicating that she had already showered and was dressed. He pulled on his boxers and the jeans, and glanced to the door again.

"Tex?" He called out, rubbing his eye as he yawned. "Tex, are you out there?"

"Hey." She said, her head popping around the corner with a slight smile on her lips.

"Why do you always get up before me?" He asked, waving her toward him, she walked across the room and plopped down next to him. "You don't even have to go in today, it's Saturday." He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Did you bring clothes over?"

She looked down at her pink sweater, and jeans, and the blue and pink mismatched socks on her feet and smiled. "Maybe." She shrugged. "I'm tired of going to my place in the morning." She said, nudging him as he stood up, he leaned toward her and lightly pushed her shoulders down on the bed as she laughed. "What are you doing?"

"I'm capturing you." He said, straddling her and climbing onto the bed as he watched her eyes twinkle at him, her smile bright as he dropped a kiss on her lips.

"Capturing me?" She giggled.

"Mmhm..." He mumbled, burying his lips into her neck just to hear her laugh. "You should come back to bed." He grumbled in her ear.

"Nope, no more bed. It's morning, time to get up." She said, pushing him away as she laughed. "Stop!" She squeaked. "Don't you have to go in?"

"Only if your dad calls me." He said, rolling onto his back beside her, he sat up. "What do you want to do today?" He asked, watching as she continued to lay back on the bed, looking up at him as he got a wicked grin on his face.

She sat up quickly, her hand moving to her ribs, where she was sure that his hand were planning to move for a tickle, and she let out a laugh as she stood up and grabbed his hand. "Well, first, you're going to take a shower. You smell gross."

"I don't smell gross." He said, lifting his arm to smell under them, he laughed at her disgusted groan. "Nope, you're right, I definitely smell gross." he laughed as he stood up. "Alright. I'll go take my shower, you think about what you want to do today." He said, standing up, he dropped a kiss on her head as he ran his finger over her cheek and looked into her eyes. "You're beautiful." He said as he turned, grabbed his bathrobe, and walked out of the bedroom toward the bathroom.

* * *

Antonia busied herself in the living room, shuffling through some papers that she had brought with her as she curled up on the couch and read through a medical journal. She listened to the sound of the shower for several moments, and eventually it turned off. She heard him shuffle from the bathroom into the bedroom. There was a light knock on the door and she looked up to see if he had heard it. "Aiden?" She called, standing up for a moment she took a step or two toward the door. "Aiden, there's someone at the door."

He poked his head out and looked to her. "Can you can get it? Might just be a package, sometimes they knock." He said, rubbing his head with a towel, he heard another knock. "I'll be right out."

"Okay." Antonia said, walking to the door. She grumbled at the fact that there was no peep hole on the door, and sighed as she opened the door slowly. She swallowed hard at the look on the woman's face on the other side of the door. She was an older woman, maybe in her late 50s. She had a stern, and now confused look on her face, her hands on the shoulders of a small girl, dressed in a purple peacoat, her hair long and dark, and she knew those green eyes. "Can I help you?" Antonia asked, though she was afraid she already knew the answer.

The woman just stood there for a moment, her mouth slightly open as her eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm looking for my son." She said, her voice strong but brittle, her jaw clenching as Antonia's head snapped toward the hallway.

"Aiden." She said, trying to call him, but the word got stuck in her throat. Suddenly, the bedroom door opened and he stepped out, dressed in jeans with no shirt with a t-shirt in his hand, his eyes bright and happy until he saw the person at the door.

"Mom?" Aiden said, confusion clouding his expression as Antonia still stood beside the door. He pulled the t-shirt on and took a step forward. The little girl gasped at the sound of his voice, a grin rising on her face as she spied him in the apartment.

"Uncle Aiden!" She exclaimed as a smile rose on his face. She raced into the apartment as quickly as he could as he caught her in mid air and lifted her above his head.

"Fiona!" He said, twirling her around as she giggled and wrapped he arms around his neck tightly and kissed his cheek. He looked to Antonia who still stood beside the door, her face pale and to his mother who still stood just outside the door. "Mother." He said, the smile dropping off his face slightly as he as he walked toward Antonia and took her hand, catching the desperate look on her face as he tugged her slightly. "Come in, come in." He said, trying to salvage the moment. His mother stepped into the apartment, sending a long look toward Antonia as he let go of her hand and she turned to watch Antonia close the door. "What brings you guys to D.C.?" Aiden asked, tickling the little girl in his arms as he watched Antonia stand beside the door as if she were going to bolt or melt into the wall behind her. "Come on in." He said, setting the girl to the floor, he helped her with her coat, and watched as his mother unclasped her coat. He walked past his mother, took her coat and hung it on the coat rack over Antonia's, catching the wide eyed look of fear in her eyes as she watched her own coat disappear beneath their guest's coats. He stepped over to her and grabbed her hand. He could feel the tightness of her grasp as he gave her a little tug. "Here, have a seat." Aiden said, a friendly smile on his face as he walked around them toward the couch with Antonia.

"Aiden, are you going to introduce us to your friend?" His mother asked, nodding toward Antonia, her eyes stern and focused.

"Of course." He said with a small nervous laugh. "Mom, Fiona, this is my girlfriend, Antonia." He said with a smile. "Antonia, this is my Mother Liz, and my niece Fiona. I've told you about Antonia, Mom." He said. "Sit, sit." Aiden said as he indicated the couch. He moved toward the chair in the room and pulled it closer, glancing to Antonia, he nodded to it, and she shook her head lightly.

"It's very nice to meet you." Antonia said, holding her hand out to Liz with a smile, she smiled at Fiona as the little girl grinned and gave her a little wave. "I think I'm going to get going though, let you guys visit. Excuse me." She said politely. Aiden could hear the tension in her voice, and he cringed at the tone. Before he could say anything, she was making her way toward the door.

"I'll be right back." Aiden said, following Antonia to the door. He reached her and took her hand.

"Tex." He said softly.

"I should go." She whispered.

"Tex, please stay." He whispered and she shook her head.

"I should go." She repeated, watching his eyes. She could see the argument in them, she could feel his defiance. "Aiden, it's okay. I'm okay, we're okay. I should go."

"Please stay." He whispered. "Tex, please?"

She closed her eyes for a moment, slowly taking in a deep breath as she released it and opened her eyes again. "Aiden."

"I love you." He whispered, lifting an eyebrow as the corner of his lips lifted just slightly.

"You're playing dirty." She said, narrowing her eyes as his grin widened.

"I love you so much." He whispered, listening to the low growl that she emitted from her throat, that low growl of eventual defeat that he was starting to know very well. "Please? Just for a little while."

"Fine." She whispered. "But only because you have to deal with my father and mother on a daily basis... and I guess I love you too." She said, making a face at him.

"Thank you." He said, dropping a kiss on her nose as he turned around and walked back toward his mother and niece. "Looks like Antonia's going to stay and visit with us." He grinned brightly as he sat on the arm of the couch and watched his mother turn her gaze to him for a moment, and Antonia slowly made her way back to the chair that Aiden had gotten for her.


	37. Checkmate

Once Antonia sat down, there were several moments of awkward silence as Aiden situated himself beside his niece, pulling her into his lap as she giggled. "So what are you guys doing in town?"

Aiden's mother turned slightly, her eyes falling on her son as he smiled lightly at her, his attitude seemingly happy despite the dreary day. She looked at his appearance, an old t-shirt and jeans, his hair seemed to be getting a bit long, and there was a bit of a sparkle in his eye that hadn't been there when he had left Chicago. She looked at his lean figure and swore that he had lost a little weight, but wasn't going to mention it to him, at least not yet.

"Mom?" Aiden said again, trying to get her attention.

She shook her head a bit and sighed. "I'm sorry, it was… it was a very early flight." She sighed, trying to keep her focus on her son, and not the young woman who was sitting across from them. Antonia's leg bounced nervously, and her fingers seemed to be the most interesting part of her body at the moment. "We came to see you, Aiden. Fiona is on winter break, and we thought that we'd surprise you, and perhaps take in some of the sights around Washington D.C." She said, a tight lipped smile on her face as Aiden nodded his head and bounced Fiona on his knee as she giggled. "Are you not happy to see us?"

"No, of course I'm happy to see you." Aiden said with a genuine smile. "I was just surprised, that's all. Anna didn't mention anything on the phone the other day, and you usually don't take trips without Dad." He said with a shrug. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." She nodded. "We didn't mean to interrupt your day, Aiden. We can go and amuse ourselves if you prefer." She said, her voice taking on a strong air of guilt.

"No, no Mom." Aiden said, shaking his head, giving Fiona a little squeeze as the little girl giggled. "I'm glad you are here." He smiled. "Tex and I weren't sure what we were going to do today, and now we can make plans with you." He said, nodding toward Antonia.

Antonia's eyes widened slightly at his usage of her nickname, and he seemed confused by her look of surprise. "What?" He said, his expression humored.

"Tex?" Liz said, looking to her son curiously.

Aiden chuckled for a moment. "Oh." He laughed nervously, realizing what he had done. "That's just my nickname for her." He said, watching Antonia's eyes, finding that he was having a hard time reading them for the moment.

"I have quite a few nicknames." She said politely, she watched Liz's attention fall onto her and she smiled. "My mother and father call me Ant or Toni." She shrugged, though it was obvious that she was incredibly uncomfortable. "Mrs. Fitzgerald, would you or Miss Fiona like a glass of water, juice, or coffee?" She said, watching Aiden's eyes narrow slightly. She gave him a knowing look and he just shook his head.

"A cup of coffee would be delightful, dear. Thank you." Liz said, allowing a kind smile as Antonia stood up and glanced to Fiona.

"Would you like a glass of orange juice, Miss Fiona?" Antonia asked, watching the little girl's eyes as they looked up at her. She nodded her head and smiled. "One orange juice, and one coffee, coming up." She said, winking at the little girl as she listened to her giggle and walked around into the kitchen. She also didn't miss Aiden's smile as she gave his shoulder a squeeze and headed into the kitchen.

Aiden followed Antonia with his eyes for a moment, and glanced to his mother, who held his gaze quite strongly. He swallowed hard, feeling her stare boring into him for a moment. "So you just decided to come here and surprise me?" he shrugged.

"Well, your father is paying for this apartment, Aiden." Liz said, clearing her throat. "I just didn't want to be in Chicago today. I am tired of being reminded of things that are painful." She said softly, keeping her voice low for a moment. "I felt that this would be a good opportunity to share our nation's capitol with Fiona, and perhaps spend some time with you if you are available." She said, watching as Aiden nodded, his eyes moving toward Antonia as she stood beside the coffee maker, her eyes focused only on the carafe.

"It's February, Mom. It's cold outside, the monuments are all outdoors. It's not going to be a pleasant experience, the steps are slippery, it's snowing..." He said, sighing as he watched his mother's glare harden.

"There are plenty of museums, Aiden." Antonia interrupted, her eyes on the carafe still. "You could take them to the Jeffersonian. There is a wonderful exhibit on the solar system, as well as the largest collection of dinosaur bones in the world." She said, looking up to see the playful look in Aiden's eyes, she narrowed hers at him as he smiled.

"Dinosaurs?" Fiona asked with an excited grin.

"You see, Aiden. There is plenty to do here." Liz said, her eyes focusing on Antonia as she smiled politely.

"Tex, I thought you didn't like dinosaurs." Aiden said, continuing to watch his girlfriend, she shook her head and turned her attention back to the coffee.

"You don't like dinosaurs?" Fiona asked with a little gasp, she watched as Antonia turned her head and smiled.

"I think she's afraid of them." Aiden whispered loudly enough for Antonia to hear. He caught the playful scowl on her face and smiled.

"You're scared of dinosaurs, Miss... Miss..."

"Tex." Aiden whispered.

"You're scared of dinosaurs, Tex?" Fiona asked.

"I'm not afraid of dinosaurs." She said, pouring the cup of coffee for Aiden's mother. "I just don't think they're very cuddly." She shrugged, watching as Fiona smiled over at her. She turned toward the refrigerator and poured a small cup of orange juice, then turned toward their guests as she walked over with the coffee and orange juice. She handed the orange juice to Fiona, who took it with both hands, looking into Antonia's eyes. "You may call me Ant, Fiona." She said, watching the little girl nod her head. She then turned to Liz and carefully handed her the cup of coffee. "Would you like anything for your coffee, Mrs. Fitzgerald?"

"No thank you, dear." Liz said with a polite smile as she accepted the mug from Antonia. "And please, call me Liz." She smiled.

Antonia sat in the chair as the conversation began to flow quite nicely, her courage was increasing with each passing second. The more they spoke, the more comfortable they felt, until the sound of Aiden's phone interrupted the conversation. "Oh, hang on, let me get that." Antonia followed Aiden with her eyes as he walked to the counter and grabbed his phone. As soon as he saw the screen, their eyes met and he cringed. "Fitzgerald." He said into the phone as he sighed. "Yes, sir."

"Aiden?" Antonia said, standing up. "Excuse me." She said with a polite smile, she walked over to him and held her hand out for the phone.

"Yes, sir." Aiden said in the line, shaking his head as he indicated to Antonia that it was fine. "What time?"

"Aiden, phone." Antonia said, holding her hand out to him. "Aiden, give me the phone."

"Yes, sir." He said, shaking his head at Antonia.

Antonia glared and picked up her phone from the counter, dialed a number and stuck her tongue out at Aiden as he shook his head. She waited a moment.

"It's just Antonia, Sir. You don't have to..." Aiden said, glaring at her as she gave him a self satisfied smirk.

"Hey, Daddy." She said, listening to her father's voice, she heard his tired voice seem to lift a bit in spirit. "Aiden's mother and niece are in town unexpectedly, and he'd really like to spend some time with them. Do you think that you and Ace can handle the casework for the weekend without him?" She laughed a little, watching Aiden shake his head. "You know him, he's too polite to ask. Okay, I'll let him know. I love you too. Stay safe." She said, hanging up the phone, she set it on the counter and eyed him carefully. "Checkmate." She said, turning around, she walked back into the living room and resumed her conversation with Aiden's mother.


	38. Say Grace

Once everyone was acquainted and comfortable, Aiden suggested that they find some breakfast. The obvious choice was the Royal Diner, and Aiden's mother insisted on taking the rental car, and Aiden insisted on driving. Antonia sat quietly in the back seat, her eyes focused on Aiden's eyes as he glanced at her in the rearview mirror. He was still unable to read her expression, and it was bothering him to know that he couldn't tell if something was bothering her or not. He assumed that there was something beneath the surface, only because of the complete silence and razor sharp focus on everything but his eyes, until this moment in the car.

"So this diner, you've been there often?" Liz asked politely, looking out the window as they drove down the road, she tried to picture what it looked like.

"Almost every day for lunch, sometimes breakfast too. It's close to both where Tex works, and where I work, so it's an easy place to meet at. Tex also lives close by, and it's been kind of a staple in her family for years, hasn't it?" He asked, looking at her in the rearview mirror, she lifted her eyebrow.

"Yes." She nodded. "We've been going here since I was a child." She said, not going into any more detail, her eyes moving back to the window. She turned her head and looked over to Fiona. She was watching Antonia with a sparkle of curiosity.

"Miss Ant?" She whispered, watching the woman tip her head curiously. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure." She said with a smile, unsure of exactly what this little girl could have on her mind, she watched as she sucked in a deep breath. "What's on your mind?"

"Why do you have a boo boo on your eye?" She asked, pointing at her own eye, referring to the still dark and visible bruise on Antonia's face. "Did Uncle Aiden hit you?" She whispered, glancing to Aiden as he looked back at the two girls, the concern in his eyes was clear, and he nearly spoke up.

"Oh, that's silly. Uncle Aiden would never do something like that." She said with a smile. "I was protecting my little sister from a bad man with a bad temper." She explained. "He was mad, and he didn't mean to hurt me, it was an accident."

"Does it hurt?" She whispered.

"Nah, not anymore." She smiled.

"So you're a tough cookie?" She asked, watching as Antonia's lips curled to a curious smile.

"Miss Ant is a very tough cookie, Fiona." Aiden said, watching as the girl's green eyes flickered to her uncle and she smiled. He then glanced at Antonia and smiled at the slight blush in her cheeks. "Okay, here we are." He said, putting the car into park. Antonia climbed from the back seat and carefully closed the door just as Aiden closed the driver's side door. "I love you." He whispered, watching as she gave him a slight scrutinizing look.

"I've heard that somewhere." She teased as she squeezed his hand, and let him make his way around the car to help Fiona from her seat.

They walked into the diner together, Antonia nodding toward the waitress with a smile as they made their way toward a table against the window. The waitress brought menus, and glanced to Ant with a smile. "I'll just have my usual." She said, garnering a smile.

"Same here." Aiden said as he glanced to his mother who was studying the menu. "We'll need just a couple minutes." He said with a smile. Fiona had decided what she was going to have, and sat quietly in her chair, looking out the window at the passing cars, her little legs swinging as she smiled happily.

Suddenly she gasped, and pointed. "Look, Gramma, a police lady." She said, a smile on her face as she watched the young policewoman coming toward the diner, her steps a little rushed. Antonia glanced over and immediately recognized Grace coming down the sidewalk.

"Tex, isn't that…" He said, just as Grace was about to pass the window, she stopped and smiled at her sister through the window, though took pause when she noticed Liz and Fiona. She immediately began to sign to her sister through the window.

Fiona gasped and grinned at the communication. She had no idea what was said, but from the smile on the police officer's face, she only guessed she was friendly. Fiona waved and giggled.

"That's my sister." Antonia explained, signing back to Grace who she was sitting with. "She wants to know who you are." She said, signing back to Grace to come inside and not be asocial. "I told her to come inside and introduce herself if she's going to be nosy." Antonia said, as Fiona giggled.

"You know American sign language?" Liz asked, watching as Antonia's attention snapped back to her for a moment, a bit of crimson working its way up her cheeks.

"Um, yes." She said, glancing to Aiden.

"Tex knows ASL, and is also fluent in Spanish, French, and…"

"Chinese." Antonia finished softly, a bit embarrassed by the pride he was exhibiting, and also distracted by her sister walking up to the table, she smiled. "Gracie." She smiled.

"Hey." Grace said, stepping up to the table, she gave Aiden a pat on his shoulder and he smiled up at her. "What are you guys up to?"

"Grace, this is Liz Fitzgerald, Aiden's mother." Antonia said, watching as her sister shook her hand. "And this is Fiona, Aiden's niece. They are visiting from Chicago."

"It's very nice to meet you, Fiona." Grace said, reaching her hand out to the little girl, she shook her hand with a smile.

"Gracie Booth." She said, giving the little girl a wink.

"You're a real police lady?" Fiona asked, smiling at Grace as she stared at her badge.

"I sure am." She said with a smile.

"And you're Miss Ant's sister?"

"Right again." She said, looking up at the tall figure walking down the sidewalk. "That's my breakfast partner." She said, watching her sister roll her eyes. "What? It's his day off."

"So you make him get up and come meet you for breakfast?" Antonia teased.

"He likes breakfast." She said, looking up as Jack stepped into the diner. "I'll see you guys later, it was nice to meet you Mrs. Fitzgerald, Fiona." She said, as she stepped away from the table and walked up to Jack, grabbing his arm and pulling him toward the counter as Antonia waved at him. He said something to her and glanced back to Antonia, concern on his face.

"That is her fiancé." Antonia said, listening to Aiden chuckle at the tone of her voice at the word, and earned himself a slight scowl.

The waitress came to the table and took the orders of Liz and Fiona, and they talked lightly as they waited. Antonia kept noticing Jack looking up and glancing to their table, and sighed softly. "If you'll excuse me, I have to ask my sister a question." She said as she stood up carefully and walked around Aiden's chair. She smiled and then walked toward her sister and Jack. She got to them and put her hands on their shoulder. "Okay, what's the problem over here, officer?"

"Hey." Jack said, turning around, he immediately took Antonia's face in his hands. "What the hell did he do to you?"

"He's freaking out about your black eye." Grace said, rolling her eyes.

"That asshole could have done this to you!" Jack whispered angrily.

"But he didn't, he did it to me… and can you let go of my face before my boyfriend's mother thinks you want to make out with me?" She said, as Jack let go of her. "It's fine. We took care of the problem, and I'm fine."

"Well, I'm not fine. You need make sure he gets what he deserved for assaulting you." Jack said, shaking his head.

"I think she gave him what he deserved when she rolled him down the stairs and broke his nose and cheekbone." Grace shrugged. "But that's just me."

"You think this is a joke?" Jack asked, his voice still holding a bit of anger, something he rarely ever displayed.

"No, Jack. It's not a joke, but there's no sense in getting all worked up about it."

"Besides, he wasn't aiming at me, he was aiming at Aiden." Antonia said, glancing to the table as he watched them talk. "Speaking of which, I should get back to the table. You two kids behave yourselves." She said with a snarky smile, earning her a double set of rolled eyes.

"Yeah, have fun with the future mother in law." Jack sniped back quietly with a laugh as Antonia growled at him and turned around, watching as the waitress brought their meals to the table, she made her way back over and slid into her seat.

"So how's Jack?" Aiden asked, watching as Antonia looked to him with a smile.

"He's doing well." She said, glancing up at Aiden's mother and over to Fiona as everyone started eating. She could sense there was a bit of tension at the table and Aiden's cheeks seemed a little flushed. She caught Liz's eye and smiled, noting that the woman's eyes flicked back to her meal. "Jack is a family friend." She explained, suddenly feeling awkward. Her stomach was doing flips as she tried to eat, and she suddenly felt a little warm.

Aiden glanced to her, and could see that she was uncomfortable, and he placed his hand on hers. She looked into his eyes and he gave her a slight smile. "So did you guys want to go to the Jeffersonian today?" Aiden asked, watching as Fiona's eyes lit up.

"Yes, yes yes!" She said with a smile. "Miss Ant is going to show me the dinosaur bones!" She giggled.

Liz cleared her throat and looked up at Aiden. "Actually, perhaps we could do the museum tomorrow." She said a bit curtly. "I'd like to get our things situated in the hotel, and perhaps take in some outdoor sites today since the weather is more pleasant. Tomorrow is expected to be colder, it might be better to do the museum then." She said, never taking her eyes off her son.

"That's fine." Aiden said.

"I can't wait to see the dinosaur bones, Ant!" Fiona said. "It's going to be so fun." She said, catching her eyes, she watched Antonia smile at her. "Isn't it going to be fun?"

Antonia took a deep breath, looking into those innocent green eyes and the excitement that was just pouring from them, her smile infectious. "It'll be tons of fun." Antonia said with a sincere smile. "And since I work at the museum, I know all of the dinosaurs personally." She said, winking across at the little girl.

"Really?" She asked, her eyes wide with wonder.

"Yep, I can introduce you to them." She smiled.

"So cool!" Fiona said as she smiled across at Antonia, glancing to her uncle with the same grin. "Ant is the best!"

Aiden leaned to her ear and watched his niece's smile. "And you said you don't get along with kids." He scoffed playfully.

"Hush and eat." She whispered, giving him a nudge as their eyes met, and she made a face at him. She watched him smile and shake his head. He could see the concern in her eyes, and wished he could dispel her worries. He squeezed her hand lightly and watched her smile slightly, as they both returned to their meal.


	39. Lab Rat Trap

When breakfast was over, Liz pulled out her wallet to pay, and Aiden let out a slight chuckle. "Mom, you're my guest, I'm paying for breakfast." He said, watching as his mother looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"So you do make money in this job of yours?" She asked, her voice a bit teasing but there was a tinge of bitterness in her tone.

"Mother." He said, though his tone held no bit of humor and it didn't go unnoticed by Antonia, who pretended to be distracted by something outside, her eyes moving slowly to Aiden's as she smiled at his slight smile, though he could tell that she was feeling incredibly uncomfortable. Suddenly, she looked up and smiled, quickly pulling the check out of Aiden's hand. "Tex?"

"I'll pay for breakfast." She said, standing up immediately, she grabbed her coat, slid past Aiden, and quickly made her way toward the register. She was there for only a moment before she felt him standing behind her, and she turned to face him. "What?" She said as she put her coat on, waiting in line at the register.

"You're not paying for breakfast." He said softly.

"I make a living wage, and you are not obligated to pay for me, and I don't believe you to be a chauvinist, so why would you insist on paying?" She asked, lifting an eyebrow at him, she took a step toward him, and he took a step back.

"It has nothing to do with chauvinism, and you know it." He said, reaching for the check, she moved it out of his reach and eyed him. "You were looking for a way to get away from the table." He whispered, watching her eyes narrow at him, he took another step back. "Tex, what's wrong?"

She looked into his eyes and tried her best to block the obvious fears in her mind just by looking into his eyes. "I need to go to the lab." She said softly.

"Tex."

"Stop calling me that. Your mother cringes every time you say it." She whispered back to him.

"Ah, the root of the problem." He said, grabbing the check from her hand, he turned and handed it and several dollar bills to the cashier. "My mother likes you." He said, looking over his shoulder at her.

"Your mother doesn't like me." Antonia whispered. "She avoids eye contact, she doesn't address me when she's speaking, and she acts surprised whenever you tell her anything about me, as if I am some sort of moronic, brainless chimp that you're dragging around." Antonia scoffed.

"My mother doesn't think you're a moronic, brainless chimp. She just doesn't know you." He said, accepting the change from the cashier.

"She doesn't know me, and she doesn't like me, and I have to go to the lab!" She whispered fiercely.

"Fine, go to the lab." He said, shaking his head. "You aren't going to believe anything that I say anyway, so just go to the lab." He said, swallowing hard, the hurt evident in his eyes.

"Thank you." She said, turning toward the door.

"Ant." He said, reaching for her hand, the nickname sounding odd on his lips, she immediately turned toward him. "There's a little girl over there that would be heartbroken if you didn't say goodbye." She glanced to the table, and Fiona waved happily beside her grandmother, a bright smile on her face, Antonia looked at Aiden and scowled. "What? A little emotional blackmail never killed anyone. Just go say goodbye, and I'll call you and pick you up for dinner, okay?"

"I guess." She whispered, walking over toward the table as Aiden followed behind her.

* * *

After she excused herself from the diner, she bundled herself a little tighter in her coat and made her way toward the lab. When she stepped into the doors of the lab, she was happy for the peaceful respite that a Saturday brought to the place, and let out a breath of relief. It was a peaceful sterile sanctuary that she always went to when she needed some time to think and analyze.

"What are you escaping from now?" A voice echoed slightly against the steel walls and rafters. She snapped her head toward her mother's office and rolled her eyes.

"I'm not escaping anything." She said, seeing her mother standing in the doorway of her office, her hair pulled up and her blue lab coat on. "What are you doing here?"

"Right now? Right now I'm trying to figure out why my daughter is lying to me." She said, turning around to step back into her office, she could hear her daughter's sneakered feet squeaking over the clean floor as she walked toward her mother's office. Antonia stood in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest. Temperance started typing something into her computer.

"Are Dad and Ace coming in with more evidence on the case?" She asked, hoping that the conversation would disappear into the sterile lab air, though she knew better than that.

"It's Saturday." She said, looking up at Antonia. "You aren't working today, go home."

"Why are you working then?"

"Because I have a level of authority here. I have things that need to be done. I have responsibilities that extend above and beyond your pay grade. You are my staff member, and there is nothing for you to do here. So go home, or go visit with Aiden's mother, or..."

"Dad told you." She glared, flopping down in one of the chairs in her mother's office, she watched as Temperance glanced up at her.

"Of course he told me. He was standing beside me when you called him. Antonia, why are you in my lab?" Temperance asked again, sitting back in her chair.

"Aiden's mother hates me." She said, looking at her fingers, she started picking at them for a moment, though she could feel her mother's eyes burning into her. She looked up into her mother's eyes and watched her eyebrow lift slowly. "What?"

"I'm sure that's an over exaggeration." Temperance said, shaking her head. "You and your father are one and the same. Master purveyors of the hyperbole." She said, watching her daughter's glare. "Did she tell you that she hates you?"

"No, I can just tell." Antonia said, her voice a bit pouty as she continued to pick at her fingernails.

"You can just tell... just like that?" Temperance said, her voice challenging her daughter, and a bit mocking. "You can read people that well, that you can just tell? Perhaps you should have gone into forensic psychology, or profiling." Her voice was not sarcastic, but extremely serious.

"Mom. Just drop it. It's fine. I don't have to be liked by everyone. It doesn't matter." She shrugged.

"Go home, Antonia." Temperance said. "The lab is not a sanctuary, it is a place of business."

Antonia lifted her eyes to her mother again and sighed. "I need time to think." She said, tipping her head as she watched her mother shake her head slightly, the stern 'business' look on her face was a good indication that she didn't want to hear her daughter's excuses. Antonia knew that look very well. "I might be wrong." She shrugged. "Maybe the conflict isn't about Aiden and myself, maybe it's about Aiden and his mother." She said, watching her mother's eyes. "Maybe she wants him to come back to Chicago. Maybe she thinks he should quit law enforcement and be a doctor. I don't know." She shrugged. "I don't know why she's here, or what she wants from him."

"You're not going to learn any of these things by sitting in the lab, Antonia. Thinking is not the problem here, it appears that communication is your issue, and you're not doing enough communicating. Go home."

"Mom!" Antonia exclaimed, stomping her foot, she immediately regretted the action.

"Do you want me to call security?" She asked, her tone stern and serious, she moved her hand toward the phone.

"I don't have my car."

"Your apartment is within walking distance. Do you have your apartment key? I can give you the spare that I have." She said, holding up her keys.

Antonia sighed. "No, I have my key." She said, standing up. "Can't I just work in bone storage?"

"You can work at home. Go home." Temperance said. "If you want to think, then why don't you think while you're unpacking the boxes in your apartment. Pretend they're a box in bone storage, and put your belongings where they go."

"That was a cheap shot." Antonia said, taking a step back out of her mother's office.

"I don't know what that means." She said, waving her hand at her daughter as she watched her move from the doorway. "Have a good day." She waited about five seconds after Antonia left her office before she stood up and walked to the doorway. She watched as Antonia turned before reaching the door to the lab, moving toward Hodgin's office. "That's not the exit, Antonia. Don't make me revoke your security card." She said. "Face your fears, stop avoiding them."

"Yeah, yeah..." She said as she turned back toward the doors to the lab. She turned and faced her mother as the doors closed, giving her a pout. Antonia watched her mother roll her eyes and walk back into her office before she turned and grumbled toward the stairwell to head home.


	40. Doctor, No!

Antonia stood in her bedroom staring down at the mess that she had made from all of the boxes that she had emptied. She had clothes that needed to be folded or hung up, she had wall hangings, paintings and pictures that needed to be put up and shelves that needed to be installed. She also had five boxes that held the pieces of a desk and four bookshelves that needed to be assembled. She climbed over some of the items and made her way toward the mess that she had made in the common area of the apartment, noting the pots and pans and dishes that she had unwrapped and placed on the counter, the dishes and silverware, as well as the packaging materials that littered the floor. She leaned over and turned the volume up on her speakers, she felt the bass of the song pounding in her brain as she moved around the room. Nearly tripping over a box of books, she stared at the mess that surrounded her.

"This was such a stupid idea." She mumbled to herself as she picked up another box of books, only for the bottom to rip out from under it and for the books to come crashing to the floor, and onto her feet. "No! No! No!" She shouted as she stomped her foot and threw the now empty box across the room, dropping to the ground as she sighed, whining as she lay among her mess and belongings. There was a knock at the door and she grumbled. "Go away!" She shouted, hearing a muffled reply and another knock. "Nobody is home! Go away!"

"Open the door, Tex!" She heard clearly through the door, and groaned as she stood up and walked toward the door. She hit the volume on the music to turn it down, and opened the door slowly, leaving the chain on the door.

"What can I do for you?" She said, eyeing him with a playful suspicious glare. Aiden returned the glare with a bit of confusion.

"I've been trying to call you." He said, flicking his finger on the chain. "Can I come in?"

"Uh, no. Not a good idea." She said, cringing a little. "What did you want?"

"Dinner, Tex. I told you that I'd call you for dinner."

"I'm not hungry. I already ate." She mumbled, keeping the door firmly in place, trying to block as much of her mess from his wandering eyes.

"Which is it?" He asked, giving her a challenging look.

"I am not hungry because I already ate?" She said, her voice clearly unconvincing, but she smiled at her cleverness.

"Come on, Tex. Stop making me talk to you through the door." He said, sighing.

She held up a finger and he stepped back, she closed the door and slipped the lock off and opened the door slowly, sliding into the hallway as she closed the door behind her securely. She was dressed in her jeans and a t-shirt, her hair was messy, and she had a bit of a guilty look on her face. "So what's up?" She asked, moving close to him, she dropped a kiss on his lips.

"Why are we talking out here? Why can't we talk in your apartment?"

"Because there's another man in there." She said, watching his eyes narrow at her, she let out a laugh. "Because it's a mess in there, if there was another man in there, I wouldn't even know where to start looking for him." She laughed. "I'm cleaning."

"You're cleaning." He said, nodding his head, as if he didn't expect her to say that.

"Yes." She said with a sigh. "And I'm listening to music, and I don't know where my phone is in there." She said, flicking her thumb toward the door. "Do you have a screwdriver?"

"Not on me." He said, a bit confused by her question.

"I have bookshelves that I need to put together, and I don't have a screwdriver." She mumbled.

"Tex, focus. Dinner?"

"What about it? I'm okay, I don't need dinner." She shrugged. "I can eat in, it's fine." Aiden put his arms around her, holding her close as he looked down into her eyes, a mischievous glint in them. When she was distracted, he reached around her and grabbed the doorknob, and before she could stop him, he turned it and pushed the door open, staring in on her apartment. "Aiden!" She shouted, she turned, trying to reach for the doorknob, he moved past her into the apartment before she could close it again.

"Holy crap, Tex." He said, looking around the room at the mess, something on every surface, including the floor. It looked like the apartment had been ransacked. "I don't know what your definition of cleaning is, but this isn't it." He said, turning around with a grin as she stood angrily staring at him, her cheeks and ears turning bright red as she watched him survey the room.

"Get out!" She exclaimed, grabbing his arm, she pulled at him and he resisted. "I didn't say you could come in, go now." She said, her voice becoming less convincing as he stood there. "Aiden, get out! Get out!" She said, as he turned into her and stood nose to nose with her. "I'm not hungry." She mumbled into his eyes.

"You're afraid of my mother."

"I'm not afraid of anything." She mumbled, knowing that her argument was stupid.

"I know that's not true." He said, running his thumb over her cheek as he watched the fear in her eyes appear.

"I'm not afraid of your mother." She said softly. "I understand and accept that she doesn't approve of our relationship." She said, watching him shake his head. "I understand that she doesn't like me. I am not a very likable person, and I accept that." She said, watching him continue to shake his head.

"Antonia, my mother and I don't always agree on everything, but that's never stood in my way." He could see she wanted to interrupt, but he held his finger up to tell her to hang on. "However, what she and I needed to discuss had nothing to do with you and I." He said, watching her scowl at him. "I took the opportunity during our outing this afternoon to talk about what she came here for, because I knew it wasn't just to get away from Chicago for a few days. She's probably hungry now, so we really should get going to dinner." He said with a sigh.

"What did she want to talk about?" Antonia asked, noting that perhaps her request was a bit too pushy, but she thought she'd try anyway.

"She wants to convince my father to move to D.C., and she wants my help." Aiden sighed. "He'll be retiring in a year, and she wants to be closer to me, since I'm their only family. She knows I won't go back to Chicago, and she wants to get away from the pain there. Anna is also considering moving as well with Fiona. She's a school teacher, and has been looking into places to move near the city. My father though, he won't listen to reason. We get along very well, and though he was very unhappy with my decision to become an FBI agent, he's been very supportive of my move here."

"He pays for your apartment." She said, repeating something that his mother had said, she was curious about it.

"He does, right now. I couldn't afford that place on my own at the time, and my mother wanted to make sure that I was living in a safe neighborhood. So, he bought the building, had it renovated, and uses the other two apartments in the building as investments. I pay him a portion for rent, but not as much as I'd be charged if he didn't own the building." He looked at his watch and up at her, cringing. "We really need to get going, Tex. Mom's going to get there before we do, and that won't be good." He said, watching as she pulled at the messy ponytail in her hair, and tugged it down.

"Let me get changed." She said, walking over her mess to get to her bedroom. "Don't... look at my stuff, or touch it." She mumbled as she walked into her bedroom.

"How can I not look at your stuff? Your stuff is everywhere." He laughed.

"Close your eyes." She laughed as she disappeared into her bedroom. "Where are we going for dinner, anyway?" She asked, pulling her brush through her hair as she looked for a nice shirt to put on. He didn't answer her question, so she thought perhaps he didn't hear. "Aiden?" She called, grabbing a nice blouse, she pulled it on and listened. "Aiden, where are we going to dinner?" She said, poking her head out of the bedroom door, she saw his eyebrows lift as if he hadn't heard her at all.

"What was that?" He asked, and it was then that she noticed that his ears were bright red. There were other things that she noticed, such as where to find her. She had gone to the lab, he would have expected her to be there, so why was he at her apartment. Come to think of it, how did he even know which apartment was hers? Antonia's teeth clenched.

"Aiden?" She said, swallowing hard, she shook her head. "No. What did you do?"

"What?" He asked, a light laugh falling from his lips as he tried to get her to smile, he knew that she was aware of what was up, but tried to play it cool. "Come on, Tex."

"No. No. Please say you didn't! Aiden!" She exclaimed as she shook her head. "You did not accept a dinner invitation from my parents! Aiden!" She exclaimed.

"You really like saying my name." He chuckled.

"Aiden!" She shouted again. "No!"

"Your mother called me, and she was very insistent." Aiden said innocently. "Antonia, I couldn't tell her no!"

"Yes! Yes you can say no! It's easy! It's one syllable! No. No. See, I can do it, a toddler can do it, you can do it too! Aiden!"

"Come on, the longer we argue about this, the more chance there is that my mother is going to get to your parent's house before us, so please, please get dressed and let's go." He begged, "Please can we just go?"

"No!" She said, slamming her bedroom door. "See how easy that was?" She shouted from the other side of the door, and locked it.


	41. Screw It

As soon as Aiden heard the door lock, he rushed toward the door, climbing over the piles of items on the ground, he nearly tripped as he put his hands on the door. "Antonia! Come on, we have to go!" He said, rapping his fist on the door as he leaned his head against it. "Please!"

"No!" She exclaimed from the other side of the door.

"Antonia, I'm not going to beg. I can just go to your parent's house without you. You can stay here."

"You can stay here too!" She exclaimed. "My mother is playing mind games with me."

"Your mother doesn't play mind games, Antonia. She's probably the only person that I've ever met that doesn't actually play mind games. She's just being polite." He said, knocking on the door again. "Please, come out."

"Polite?" Antonia laughed sarcastically on the other side of the door. "She's not being polite!" Antonia grumbled, and there was a long pause. "Damn it, she's just being polite." Antonia sighed, realizing what Aiden said was probably true. Her mother didn't play mind games, and probably thought that it would be an opportunity for Aiden's mother to know that her son had a good support system in his new home. "I don't want to go." Antonia whined. There was a very long pause on the other side of the door. "Aiden?" She sighed. "Aiden, are you out there?"

"Are you done with your little pity party?" He asked in a whiny voice with a wicked grin on his face as he heard her snort through the door. "Can we go now?"

She opened the door slowly and peeked out at him. "Promise me that this isn't going to be a disaster?"

"You know that I can't make a promise that I can't keep." He said, watching as a slow smile crept onto her lips. "What's that smile for?"

"Your honesty." She said, stepping out of the room, she kicked at a book that was by the doorway and moved closer to him, putting her arms on his shoulders, she pulled him in for a kiss. "Mm…" She groaned into his kiss as he deepened it, pulling her body closer to him as she felt his body react to her. "I love you." She moaned against his mouth as he felt her pulling him with her, he resisted, planting his feet on the ground as he moved his lips to her neck, kissing her tenderly, she pushed her back against the wall and felt his body push against her as their hands started to roam, and the kiss began to get deeper. "I love you." She moaned again.

"Nice try, Tex." He mumbled into her neck as she giggled a little against his mouth. "But I'm pretty sure…" He said, pulling from her slightly, he dropped a kiss on her nose and lifted his eyebrows at her. "That there isn't a surface in this place that isn't covered with your crap that we could lie down on." He said, dropping a kiss on her nose again as he looked into her eyes, she smiled and scrunched her nose at him as she made a face. "Stop stalling, and let's go."

"I'm not stalling… I'm trying to organize my stuff." She groaned.

"Listen, if you come with me now, and stop stalling, I will come back here later and I will bring my screwdriver." He said, watching as she grinned at him. "To put your bookshelves together! Antonia, whatever your middle name is Booth, get your mind out of the gutter!" He laughed, watching her step back into her bedroom as she laughed.

"Okay, we can go." She said softly as she grabbed her keys, phone, and wallet off the pile of clothes on the bed. "But only because you promised to screw me later." She said, moving quickly past him as he pretended he was chasing her out of the apartment.

* * *

They were both quiet on the car ride over, and Antonia was getting a strange feeling that there was more about this dinner that he wasn't telling her. Her only course of action, was a little bit of interrogation. "So, my mother called you?" She said, watching as he glanced to her quickly, he gave her a strange look.

"Yeah, she called me and invited us and Mom and Fiona to dinner." He said, watching her nod her head and look out the windshield. "Fiona, by the way…hasn't stopped talking about you since you left for the lab. She keeps telling me about how amazing and cool she thinks you are, and that she can't wait to go see the dinosaur bones tomorrow." He said, noticing that she was still in her 'thinking' mode.

"I like Fiona very much as well." She said softly, and turned her eyes back to him. "So what exactly did my mother say when she called? Did she say… hey Aiden, heard your mom is in town, bring her on by to the Booth abode to strap on the old feed bag…?" she asked, watching as he shook his head and laughed.

"Nobody says that, Antonia." He said, laughing.

"Well, what did she say?" Antonia asked, watching him carefully.

"She said that she sent you home from the lab, and you were concerned about my mother's thoughts on you, and that…" He stopped, and pretended it was because he was making a turn, but didn't continue after the turn was made.

"And that, what?" Antonia insisted.

"And um… that Grace and JV were coming for dinner, and that she thought it provided a perfect opportunity to meet my mother, and Fiona… and…"

"So Grace and Jack are coming too?" She asked, reaching for the handle on the car door. "Stop the car, I'm getting out, don't make me tuck and roll, Aiden." She said, as he glanced to her quickly, but saw the grin on her face.

"Oh, cut it out. Stop being so dramatic."

"At least she didn't invite Parker and the boys." She said with a sigh, glancing out the window for a moment, she turned back to Aiden, and noticed the red ears again, and the slightly pained look on his face. "Aiden! Seriously? She invited the terrible twosome?"

"She thought that it might be nice for Fiona to have someone to play with!" Aiden said innocently, watching Antonia shake her head. "What?"

"This is a bad idea, this is a horrible, horrible, horrible bad idea. Those boys will tie her to train tracks and laugh diabolically while they wait for a train!" She said, glancing to him.

"What is this, a silent movie? Fiona can hold her own, I'm sure." He laughed.

"Did she invite Ace and Rebecca too?"

"No, no Ace or Rebecca." Aiden said softly.

"Well, that's good. At least we're spared that for now." Antonia sighed as Aiden pulled the car up to her parent's house. At this point, the only guest that had arrived was Parker and the boys. Antonia sat in her seat as Aiden turned the car off, and she just stared at the front door. "This is just a really bad idea." She whispered.

"You keep saying that."

"It's because it is, Aiden. It's bad." She said, glancing to him, she could see the humor in his eyes. "You think that this is extremely humorous, don't you?"

"No." He said, shrugging as he smiled at her. "I was just... I was just thinking about when I came here on New Years, and you slammed the door in my face and disappeared for an hour." He said, watching her blush as she shook her head and avoided eye contact. "What? You were adorable." He said with a laugh.

"I was not adorable." She said, watching his playful smile. "I was in my pajamas at 3 in the afternoon, and I'm pretty sure that I had chocolate ice cream in my hair." She laughed. "Oh look, they're waiting for us." Antonia said as she looked at the house, seeing her two nephews watching out the front window at them, waving. "Can we go back to my apartment?" She asked, looking to him with a pout.

"After dinner." He whispered, leaning over to kiss her. "Come on, let's get inside, you can go find a really good hiding place in the house before my mom gets here." He said as she looked to him and grinned.

"Great idea!" She exclaimed as she jumped from the car and headed quickly toward the house.

"Well that was easier than I thought it would be." Aiden laughed to himself, as she walked into the house, and closed the door behind her. He walked up the steps, shaking his head, when she opened the door back up, grabbed his hand, and playfully pulled him inside.


	42. Dinner is

Antonia tugged Aiden into the house, closing the door behind him as they both pulled at their coats. Luke and Nate ran to Antonia, and gave her a hug, as she whispered something in their ears. They suddenly jumped back and screamed as they ran as fast as they could upstairs. "Grrrr!" Antonia growled as they giggled and disappeared.

Aiden laughed and shook his head. "What on earth did you tell them?"

"I said that I was going to eat them." She shrugged, grabbing for his coat, he instead grabbed her coat from her hands and turned to hang it on the hook beside the door with his as they both kicked off their shoes.

"Good, you're here." They heard from the doorway to the kitchen as Booth waved his hand to them and then disappeared back into the kitchen. Antonia and Aiden exchanged a look and shook their heads as they walked toward the kitchen. They walked inside the kitchen, and Booth was at the stove.

"Is that how you greet people now?" Antonia teased her father as he concentrated on what he was doing at the stove. She turned her head. "Where's mom?"

"Probably at the lab. We had an argument this morning, and she went there to hide from me." He said, not looking up, he put some spices on the roast and looked up at her. He noticed that her eyebrow was raised, and her arms were folded across her chest as she shook her head and scowled. "She'll be home soon, what?" He asked, glancing to Aiden. "What's her problem?"

"She thinks that Doctor Brennan is..."

"A hypocrite. She's a hypocrite." Antonia snipped as she made a face. "Face your fears, Antonia...The lab isn't a sanctuary, Antonia." She mocked as she walked out of the kitchen.

Booth followed her retreating form with his eyes, a confused look on his face, and then he looked to Aiden. "Never have a daughter." He said, shaking his head as he opened the oven and carefully placed the roast inside. "It's really not worth the trouble." He laughed. He turned around to see Aiden laughing a little. "Surprise visit from your mother, huh?"

"Uh, yes." Aiden nodded. "I appreciate the invitation to dinner. She's asked about my job, and the people that I surround myself with, so it gives her a good opportunity to meet you all."

"And it doesn't hurt that we're the girlfriend's family." Booth snickered.

"Two birds, one stone." Aiden laughed as the door to the kitchen opened and Parker walked through.

"Dad, the boys wanted to... Hey, Aiden." Parker said with a smile as Aiden said hello. "The boys wanted to know if you cared if they played board games up in one of the bedrooms."

"Tell them they can play downstairs. The last time they played board games up there, Luke got a peg from Trouble stuck up his nose, and almost had to be brought to the hospital." Booth grumbled.

"Sorry." Parker replied.

"Yeah, well apologizing isn't going to work, they need to play the games down here." Booth said, turning back toward the stove.

"No, Dad. It was a piece from the game 'Sorry', and it was Nate that got it stuck in his ear." Parker laughed, as Aiden chuckled at the conversation. The doorbell rang, and Booth looked up.

"That might be my mother." Aiden said, as he nodded toward the door as he turned to go answer it.

"Hey, hey... I can answer my own door." Booth joked as he walked around Aiden and slipped out of the room as Aiden and Parker followed.

Antonia about to answer the door when she saw Booth coming quickly out of the kitchen. "Dad, Apron." She said as he narrowed his eyes and untied the apron around his waist as he threw it at her. She laughed and caught it, watching as he opened the door.

"Mrs. Fitzgerald." He said as he opened the door, looking down at the little girl in front of her, he smiled. "And you must be Fiona."

"Yes, sir." She said softly, a bit nervous at seeing the stranger open the door.

"Come on in, I'm Seeley Booth. My wife will be home soon, she decided to do a little work today." He said, as he ushered them inside politely. "You know those two." He said, indicating Antonia and Aiden, and that's our son Parker, and those two little spies on the stairs are Luke and Nate, Parker's boys." He smiled.

Liz smiled and introduced herself, as Booth helped her with her coat. Fiona hid behind her grandmother for a moment, and as she took her coat off, she looked into the room, her eyes flicking to Aiden first as a grin rose on her face. She pointed at him. "That's Uncle Aiden." She laughed, as Booth took her little coat to hang it up. Her eyes glanced to Ant and her smile became even wider. "Ant!" She squealed as she ran toward Antonia and felt her lift her into her arms as she hugged her. "I missed you so much!" She giggled.

Aiden's jaw dropped slightly as he watched his niece give Antonia a kiss on the cheek as she started to chatter about her adventures during the afternoon that Antonia had missed. They moved toward the couch as Antonia sat down with Fiona on her lap as she turned and faced Antonia, talking animatedly. She hugged her again and smiled over at Aiden.

"Did you hear that?" Antonia giggled, as Aiden sat down with a playful scowl.

"What?" Aiden asked as he watched her suspiciously.

"The sound of you getting knocked down a peg." Antonia laughed joyfully as she watched Aiden shake his head and roll his eyes.

* * *

Booth invited Aiden's mother into the kitchen with him, and Parker followed behind, leaving Antonia and Aiden on the couch with Fiona as she continued to ask Antonia question after question about the museum, and the dinosaurs, and their planned adventure the next day.

Aiden sat next to them as they waited for everyone else to arrive, watching Antonia laugh with the little girl. "Does she ever slow down?" Antonia asked, watching as the little girl laughed about something she said.

"No. No she does not ever slow down." Aiden said, reaching for her, he smiled and gave Fiona a little tickle on her side. "Hey, you've been here for fifteen minutes, and I still haven't even gotten a hug yet." He said, watching as Fiona gave him an incredulous look, moving from his tickle.

"Excuse me, Uncle Aiden. I was speaking with Miss Ant." She said, lifting her eyebrow at him, suddenly extremely serious.

"I guess she told you." Antonia laughed.

"Yeah? Well... It's fine. I don't have to go see the dinosaur bones tomorrow. I can just stay home and pout." He said with a sigh.

Fiona gave him a surprised look and shook her head. "No pouting, Uncle Aiden. There is no pouting allowed!"

He let out a dramatic sigh. "It's okay, I don't need hugs or dinosaur bones."

"Maybe you should give him a hug." Antonia said, watching Fiona sigh and shake her head. "I don't think the pouting is going to stop."

"I guess." She said, climbing from Antonia's lap, she crawled to her uncle and sat on his lap, wrapping her arms around him, she patted his back lightly, shaking her head disapprovingly as she watched Antonia.

"Why does this feel like a pity hug?" Aiden asked, giving the little girl a little tickle as she laughed.

"Because it is." Antonia laughed, looking up as the door opened and Grace stepped inside, closing the door quickly behind her.

She looked up and smiled slightly, looking like she was out of breath. She seemed surprised to see Antonia there. "Oh, hey." She said, glancing to the door as it opened quickly and Jack stepped inside.

"You could have waited for me." He grunted, his voice having an edge of anger as he looked up at everyone in the living room. "Oh, hey. Hi." He said, his glare turning to a smile.

"Hey, guys." Antonia said, glancing to Aiden. "What's up?"

"Nothing." Grace shrugged, hanging up her coat, she reached for Jack's coat from him and dropped it on the floor without putting it on the hook.

"Grace!" He growled as he turned and picked up the coat.

"Trouble in paradise?" Antonia asked.

"Nope, everything is fine with me." Grace said, sitting in the chair across from the couch, she smiled. Fiona sat quietly on Aiden's lap, watching Grace. She looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place where she had seen her.

"Fiona, you remember my sister Grace, right?" Antonia asked, watching as the little girl's eyes lit up and she smiled.

"Oh, yes! The police lady!" She said with a smile. "I didn't recognize you without your costume!"

"Well, it's a uniform." Grace said, shrugging.

"No, she was right, it's a costume." Antonia replied, watching her sister give her a playful glare.

"Anyway." Grace said, shaking her head. "What are you guys doing here?" She said, sending Jack a glare as he sat down on the arm of the chair.

"Mom tricked us into dinner." Antonia said, feeling Aiden nudge her with his elbow. "Mom invited Aiden's mother and Fiona to dinner, and tricked us into coming too." Antonia laughed, moving out of the way from Aiden's nudge as she snatched up the little girl and rolled to her back as she put her feet against Aiden and laughed.

"You can't use her as a human shield!" Aiden laughed, grabbing her foot. "She won't protect you!" He said as he tickled her foot, and she struggled as Fiona laughed and jumped up to defend Antonia.

"Stop, stop, Uncle Aiden... Be nice to Ant!" She said, tickling his side as he grabbed her and held her, stopping his tickling as Grace and Jack just watched with a smirk. Fiona had just noticed JV and pushed herself further into Aiden's arms. "Who are you?" She asked suspiciously.

"My name is Jack." He said, holding his hand out to the little girl, he watched her glance to Antonia, and then to Aiden, who nodded.

"Hi, Jack." She said, holding out her small hand to him. "My name is Fiona." She said, allowing him to shake his hand, she had an extremely serious look on her face as she glanced to Grace.

"Well, Miss Fiona, it is a pleasure to meet you." Jack said dramatically, as the little girl appreciated his head nod and serious attitude.

Suddenly the formality was interrupted by the door opening and Temperance stumbling in with a box of files and her briefcase, her eyes wandering over the living room as everyone looked up.

"A little help, please?" She asked, as Jack jumped up and and Aiden set Fiona on the couch and got up to help.

"Geez, Mom, you could have just pushed the doorbell." Grace said.

"Or left your stuff in the car and made the husband that you're hiding in the lab from get it." Antonia said from her end of the couch.

Temperance's eyes snapped to Antonia. "I don't have patience for you right now." She thanked Jack and Aiden for their help and pulled her coat off, handing it off to Aiden as he hung it on the hook. "Where is...?" She stopped when she saw the little girl sitting on the couch, looking up at the new person in the room. Suddenly there was the sound of pounding feet on the stairs.

"Bones!" Luke and Nate came careening down the stairs toward their intended target, hopping and giggling as she lifted each one for a kiss, she was still catching her breath. "What are you two doing upstairs? We have guests." She said, watching as the little boys shrugged. She took their hands and walked toward the couch as Antonia watched her mother crouch down to the little girl.

"This is my mommy." Antonia whispered to Fiona, whose concerned expression turned to a grin as she stood up in front of Temperance.

"You must be Fiona." She said with a smile as she smiled at the little girl.

"Yes, Ma'am." She smiled.

"My name is Temperance." She said, shaking the little girl's hand. "But these two call me Bones." She made a little face and the little girl giggled.

Fiona glanced to Antonia and she smiled. "She works at the museum too." Antonia whispered.

"You do? You know all about the dinosaur bones too?" Fiona asked.

"I do." She smiled at Antonia's soft encouragement of the little girl. "Have you met these two young men yet, Fiona?" She said, indicating the two boys as they stood beside her.

"I know their names." She shrugged.

"Well, this is Luke, and this is Nate." She said, indicating them each. "If you'd like to play, they have plenty of toys here, and I'm sure Antonia or Grace might have something in their old bedrooms that is a little more your style, but the boys will be polite and courteous, and play very nicely with you." She said, as her voice seemed to switch almost to her lecture tone. "Isn't that correct, boys?"

"Yes, Bones." The two boys said together, watching her serious glance. "It was very nice to meet you, Fiona." She smiled.

"It was nice to meet you... Bones." She giggled.

"Bones, there you are!" Booth exclaimed from the doorway.

She winked at Fiona and stood up, facing her husband's impatient stance. "Here I am." She said, shaking her head.

"Better than the greeting we got." Antonia said to Aiden.

"Hey, he's working on it." Aiden teased back.

"I can't believe you left your poor mother in the kitchen with him." Temperance mumbled to Aiden, as she excused herself, rolled her eyes, and followed his retreating form into the kitchen.


	43. Host of Problems

Temperance entered the kitchen, watching as Booth turned toward the stove, she looked toward the table and smiled at the woman sitting with a cup of tea, Parker sitting with her as they smiled up at her.

"Hey, Bones." Parker said with a smile, glancing to Liz, he shrugged. "Dad's always called her that." Parker shrugged. "So that's what I've always called her."

"It comes with the job." Temperance said with a smile, reaching her hand out to Liz. "Temperance." She said, as Liz shook her hand politely.

"Liz Fitzgerald. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Doctor Brennan. Aiden has spoken very highly of you, and your family." Liz said with a smile.

"He is a very well mannered young man, and he's been a pleasure to have on our team, as well as a member of our family." Temperance said with a smile, glancing to Booth, who averted his gaze back to something on the stove. "If you'll excuse me, I have to have a conversation with my husband."

"Of course." Liz said with a smile. "Parker here is enlightening me on his work projects, I find them fascinating." Liz said, turning her attention back to Parker as Temperance turned toward Booth.

"Can we have a word, please?" Temperance whispered as she stepped up to the stove.

"I'm cooking." He mumbled, glancing to her.

"Well, stop cooking please, and come speak to me."

"No thanks. We already talked, you made a decision, and I rolled over. It's fine." He said, giving her a slight smile, as she glared at him. "Did you have fun at your hide out? Sounds like someone else wanted to join your club, but didn't know the secret password." he asked, watching her eyes narrow, he didn't see her fingers until they were pinching into his arm. "Ow, geez, Bones." He grunted, pulling his arm away from her. "No pinching, we have guests." He whispered, glancing to Liz, who was listening intently to Parker.

"You, me... dining room." She said, nodding toward the dining room. "Right now." she whispered.

"Fine." he mumbled, pulling the food off the burner, he turned the burner off and followed Temperance into the dining room. They stepped into the room, and Booth continued rubbing his arm. "Geez, Bones. I think you might have some of my skin under your fingernails."

"Wouldn't be the first time." She mumbled as she closed the door behind them.

* * *

Antonia and Aiden spoke with Grace and Jack in the living room as the children amused themselves with a board game quietly on the coffee table. The scents from the kitchen were starting to waft into the room as the kitchen door opened, and Parker passed through, ushering Liz inside, holding her tea for her as they moved to settle with everyone else in the family room as they waited for dinner to be ready.

Antonia looked up and smiled, moving for Liz to sit down in her spot, she nodded toward the piano bench, leaving Aiden on the couch beside his mother, she threw him a smile and he shook his head as he smiled back. "I can just pull the bench over." She said politely as they all settled in the room together.

"Liz, this is Jack Hodgins." Grace said with a smile. "My fiance."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Jack." Liz said with a smile as she shook his hand. "This house is beautiful." She remarked, looking around at the furniture, the pictures on the walls, mixed with the shelves of books and antiquities that were scattered on various shelves around the house, mixed in with hints of sports themed decorations as well.

"Thank you." Antonia smiled, "My parents have extremely different decorating styles and interests, but somehow they managed to come to a consensus on decorating."

"Mom usually wins." Grace said, watching as Antonia nodded in agreement as they laughed.

"Dad gets his say too though on some things." Antonia said with a laugh. "Grace used to play hockey."

"But mom got you to learn piano, so I guess she kind of evened us out a bit." Grace laughed.

"You played hockey?" Liz asked, surprised by the young woman before her, she seemed very petite and proper, not at all rough and tumble.

"I did." Grace said, feeling a blush on her cheeks. "I was tiny as a kid, but very fast."

"And extremely rough." Jack said, rubbing his forehead.

"Jack wasn't really the hockey type." Grace said, looking up at him as he continued to rub a spot on his forehead. "But at least he tried."

"Right, I tried." Jack laughed. "I lasted exactly one half of a practice before she hit me with a hockey puck between the eyes." He said as they laughed.

"So you two grew up together?" Liz asked.

"We've been friends since she was born." Jack said.

"Inseparable, honestly." Antonia said, watching her sister blush again.

"Why don't we talk about you, Toni." Grace laughed. "Mrs. Fitzgerald, what would you like to know about my sister?" Grace said, leaning down a bit, she watched her sister's playful glare. "It's all out on the table, anything you want to know."

Aiden let out a laugh at Antonia's unseen sign to her sister, who signed something quickly back to her. Everyone was fairly sure that it wasn't a particularly polite sentiment, but Antonia laughed.

"I don't know." Liz said, smiling at Antonia, she gave her a slight smile. "I don't want to embarrass the poor girl." She said with a slight laugh.

"So you had a question in mind?" Aiden asked, egging them on as Antonia shook her head and buried her face in her hands.

"No." Liz said, giving her son a playful scowl. "You had better be nice to her, Aiden. I raised you to be respectful. Antonia, dear." She said, watching as Antonia looked up at Liz, her cheeks burning. "Aiden used to sleep with his favorite blankie until he was fifteen years old."

"MOM!" Aiden exclaimed, burying his face in his hand as Antonia let out a laugh, reveling in her boyfriend's embarrassment and Liz's joy at doing so, she patted her son's leg as she laughed.

"Oh, you'll be fine, dear. And he only stopped then, because I threw it out." She whispered loud enough for everyone to hear as they all laughed.

"I have to go to the bathroom." Aiden said as he started to stand up, though his mother pushed him back into his spot with her hand before he could stand, and he just shook his head and closed his eyes. "I can't believe you threw it out." He mumbled, as everyone laughed again.

Antonia was suddenly feeling extremely comfortable in Liz's company, and it appeared that Liz had toned down her initial aversion to conversation the longer she was in the company of Antonia's family. Her laughter intermingled with the stories, and she'd ask questions and throw in quips as they enjoyed one another's company. Antonia scanned the room, her eyes glancing to the children for a moment as the boys played quietly with Fiona, quiet being something that was extremely rare for them. There was a bit of small talk and suddenly the sound of a door slamming, making everyone jump and glance toward the source of the interruption. Antonia and Grace shared a glance and she stood up quickly.

The door to the kitchen opened and Temperance walked through with a friendly smile on her face as she avoided eye contact at first, almost as if she were questioning whether walking into the room was a good idea. "I apologize for the door slamming. It appears the dining room door was sticking." She said with a friendly smile to her guests. "Excuse me, I am going to just change quickly out of my work clothes, and I'll be right down." She said as she moved quickly for the stairs, disappearing before anyone had a chance to say anything.

Grace and Antonia looked to one another again. "Excuse me." Antonia said softly. "I have to um... I'll see if we have any hors d'oeuvres. I'll be right back." She said as she disappeared into the kitchen quickly.

"I... I forgot I needed to ask my mother something." Grace said, glancing to the guests for a moment, she excused herself and moved quickly up the stairs without another word.

"I apologize for my sisters." Parker said with a shake of his head. "They really need to work on their excuses." He said as they chuckled, and the four remaining adults attempted to return to a regular conversation.


	44. Big Fat Chicken

The moment that Antonia walked into the kitchen, she could see that her father was in pain. He was standing at the counter, breathing slowly as he held his hand. "Dad?"

Booth looked up at her, holding his hand as he gave her a pained expression. "Your mother slammed the door on my fingers." He groaned.

"Why?" She asked, stepping to his hand, she took it in hers and looked it over, cringing slightly. "What's going on? What are you guys arguing about?" She asked, grabbing his wrist as she tugged him across the kitchen. She grabbed a sandwich bag from one of the drawers quickly, and swung open the freezer door, all the while holding his arm with her other hand.

"It's not a big deal."

"When mom resorts to violence, it's a big deal." She said as she put ice in the baggie and closed it securely. She watched as Booth stared at his hand on the counter for a moment.

"I put my hand on the door frame, it was my fault." He said, cringing as he bent his fingers. "Are they broken?" He asked, looking to his daughter as she gave him a glare.

"It's a wooden door, and your fingers aren't brittle, you'll be fine." She said, dropping the bag of ice on his hand. "Now out with it. We have guests, and you two are in here having it out like a couple of schoolyard kids. What is going on? Why was mom hiding in the lab?"

"Who is the parent here?" Booth asked, watching his daughter raise her eyebrow at him. If it weren't for the brown eyes, she'd look exactly like her mother in that moment. "I don't want to talk about it." He said as he turned toward the stove, taking the bag of ice with him. Antonia stepped forward and pinched him on the arm. "Ow! Toni! What the hell is with you two and your pinching?"

"Dining room, now." she said, nodding toward the other room.

"No. I'm not discussing it with you."

"I'm not giving you an option." She said, stepping toward the dining room, she held the door open for him. "I won't slam the door on your hand, but you don't want one our guests walking in on our conversation either."

"I'm trying to make dinner." He grumbled.

"Dinner can wait. Dining room." She said, nodding toward the room. She watched her father ignore her for another second, before he rolled his eyes and stepped toward the dining room, walking past her into the room, he watched as she closed the door behind him, thanking him for obliging.

He stepped into the room and turned to Antonia, looking her right in the eyes he sighed. "Your mother wants to leave me."

* * *

Grace stepped up the stairs to her mother's bedroom and set her head on the door, knocking lightly. "I'm not in the mood to keep arguing, Booth." Temperance said angrily from inside the bedroom. "We have guests."

"Mom, it's Gracie." She said softly.

"Go back downstairs, Grace. We have guests."

"Can I come in and talk to you, please?"

"Absolutely not." Temperance replied, as she watched the doorknob turn and her daughter slide in and close the door. "You listen just as well as everyone else around here." She said, standing up, she moved toward the bathroom that adjoined the bedroom.

"Mom, stop walking away, please? What's going on?"

"I slammed your father's hand in the door." She said, stopping before she went into the bathroom. She turned around and pointed at her daughter. "I'm not walking away, I'm trying to get ready for dinner." She said, closing the door behind her, leaving Grace in the bedroom.

Grace shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Why did you slam dad's hand in the door?" She asked. "Why are you guys arguing."

The bathroom door opened and Temperance looked into her daughter's eyes. "I'm leaving your father." She said, as she closed the door again.

"What?" She said, smacking the door with her palm. "You can't just say that and close the door!" Grace exclaimed.

* * *

"She's leaving you?" Antonia snorted. "She's not leaving you. Stop being dramatic, what did she say?"

Booth rolled his eyes and walked around the table. "She says she wants to go on a lecture tour."

"So, she's gone on lecture tours before. What's the big deal?"

"She wants to go for four months, Toni. Four months! She's never left for longer than two weeks since I came back, and now she says that she wants to just leave."

"That's because we were younger, and she had two to three kids in the house at the time, I mean, now she only has one." Antonia said, watching her father glare at her. "I was talking about you."

"Oh, I know what you were talking about. It's not funny. Your mother can't leave me for four months." Booth grumbled.

"Then go with her." Antonia shrugged. "Did you ask her if you could go with her."

"No." He mumbled.

"You need a vacation, Dad." Antonia sighed.

* * *

Temperance waited a few moments, listening to her daughter's insistent smacking of the door, as she sighed. She opened the bathroom door and walked past Grace toward the bed. "Mom, you can't leave daddy. He'd die without you."

"Grace stop being so dramatic, please?" She said as she sat down on the bed, rubbing her face with her hands. "I don't mean I'm divorcing him. I am simply planning on leaving on a lecture tour, and he doesn't agree with my decision."

"Why not? You've done plenty of tours."

"This one is four months. It's a very intense schedule, a lot of travel. He gets nervous when I'm traveling, and it makes him upset that I would be away from the lab for that long." She sighed.

"Take him with you." Grace said definitively, sitting next to her mother.

"Gracie, you know your father doesn't fly." Temperance said with a sigh.

"Did you at least ask him if he wanted to go with you?" Grace asked, lifting her eyebrow as she watched Temperance shake her head. "Well then, maybe if you're there on the plane with him, he won't be a big fat chicken." Grace said, watching Temperance lift an eyebrow at her daughter.

"Your father is not a 'big fat chicken'. This has nothing to do with poultry... however, chickens don't fly either, so I guess it is a relevant comparison." Temperance sighed thoughtfully.

"Well then ask him, Mom. All he does is work and hang out with Ace. He could really use a vacation."

* * *

"I take vacations all the time!" Booth argued, watching as Antonia smirked across him with that Brennan smile that just seemed to infuriate him just a little more.

"Hanging out at a crime scene outside of a tanning salon does not a vacation make." She said, shaking her head.

"You're really starting to annoy me." Booth said, sighing. "I didn't ask her because I don't fly."

"Because you're a big fat chicken." Antonia said, shaking her head.

"Do I call you a big fat chicken when you won't get in an elevator, or when you have a panic attack?"

"No. You tell me stuff like... I'm not walking up the damn stairs, Antonia... I'm old." Antonia said in a fake deep voice, watching her father glare at her.

"I never say that."

"All I'm saying Dad, is that... If you're with Mom, you're happy. If she feels that she needs this lecture tour, then what the hell, go with her. So you're nervous on planes... just close your eyes, hold her hand, and breathe your way through it, and by the fourth or fifth time on the flying metal tube, you'll forget you were ever nervous." Antonia shrugged.

"Calling it a flying metal tube does not help, Antonia." Booth mumbled.

"That's what it is, Dad." She shrugged.

* * *

"He has an irrational fear of flying, Grace. I think that it would be selfish of me to demand that he overcome it simply to have his company."

"It's selfish of you to go on the trip alone, and not take him... or at least ask him. He probably wouldn't have gotten all bent out of shape if you had at least asked him to come with you." Grace said honestly. "I mean come on, Mom. You're miserable without Dad. And I think it would be incredibly cruel to your children to leave him here for four months for us to take care of him. He's like a..."

"Dog without his Bones... yes, yes... we've all heard that." Temperance chuckled, rubbing her eye for a moment. She sighed. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask if he wanted to come too." She sighed. "But who would take care of you and Antonia when you need something?" She said suddenly, looking at her daughter's blue eyes as they sparkled with humor.

"I think that we can find someone who is willing to help." Grace chuckled a little. "We have Aunt Angela, Uncle Jack... Ace, Rebecca... and of course Parker... and each other... Aiden, and JV are also pretty helpful in a pinch. We'll find someone to bail us out."

"I really do hope that is a figurative statement." Temperance said seriously.

"You really never know what kind of trouble we'll get in." Grace laughed.

"Not helping with the decision here, Gracie K." Temperance said, shaking her head.

"I'm going to go downstairs and see if Antonia got anywhere with Dad." She said, shrugging.

"Grace, please tell me your sister is not talking to your father."

"Divide and conquer, Mom."

"Get out of here." She said, rolling her eyes as she headed toward the bathroom to change.

* * *

"Who is going to take care of the lab? Who is going to work with the FBI if not your mother?" Booth asked seriously.

"She has interns. At least one of them has a doctorate and extensive knowledge of the workings of the lab." Antonia replied.

Booth paused for a second, his eyes lifting to his daughter's, and he could see her watching him with a bit of a gleam in her eye. "You're trying to get rid of your mother, aren't you?" He said, his jaw dropping slightly, a bit of a laugh on the tip of his tongue.

"I am not!" Antonia exclaimed, pointing at her father as he pointed at her.

"If she leaves, you think she'll leave you in charge of the lab!" He said, his voice a bit louder than he had expected, he watched her eyes widen as she shook her head.

"I never said that! I never said that! Don't put words in my mouth!" She exclaimed, though her voice was much quieter. "I am so done with you right now." She growled.

"You just hate that I know you so well." Booth laughed, standing up to follow her as she moved toward the door.

"You're infuriating!" She exclaimed.

"You're just like your mother." He snipped, laughing at her glare.

"Ugh!" She exclaimed as she walked out of the dining room, slamming the door as she went.

* * *

The conversation in the living room was interrupted by the sound of the door slamming again, and everyone was watching the kitchen door as Antonia came strolling out. She watched the eyes that were on her and shrugged. "Stupid dining room door…still sticking." She muttered, stepping over to Aiden, she sat beside him on the arm of the couch for a moment and sighed.

"Maybe you should leave it open?" he whispered to her, looking up at her dark eyes.

"Maybe you should shut it." She whispered back, lifting her eyebrows at him challengingly, he let out a laugh.

Grace came bounding down the stairs, a slight smile on her face as everyone watched her turn into the room. They were all quiet, and immediately she felt everyone's eyes on her. "What?" She asked, glancing toward the stairs.

"Did you get an answer to your question?" Jack asked, watching as Grace gave him a strange look. "You said you had to ask your mom a question."

"Oh… yeah… yeah, questions answered." She smiled. She glanced to Antonia. "Everything okay in the kitchen? Any hors d'oeuvres?"

Just as the question was asked, Booth came walking out of the kitchen with a tray holding cheese and crackers. He looked across at all of the eyes looking at him and made a confused face. "Well, it's nice to see our guests are being entertained." He said, setting the tray on the coffee table, the two boys made a move for it and he held his hand out. "Hey, hey..." He said, as Luke and Nate stopped. "These are for adults first, okay? And you each get one cracker and one piece of cheese. Got it?"

"Got it." The boys said with a smile.

Booth turned to Liz and smiled. "If I just left it there, they would pounce on it like a pack of hungry wolves."

"That's because they are a pack of hungry wolves." Temperance said from the stairs as she stepped down, catching her husband's eye as he gave her an apologetic smile. Everyone's attention was brought to the cheese and crackers, as Booth walked over toward the stairs and stopped as she reached the bottom step, looking into his eyes. "I'm sorry about your hand." She whispered.

"It's fine, there was a doctor in the house." He whispered, wiggling his fingers. "She has horrible bedside manner though."

"That's because she's usually working with patients that don't complain." Temperance smiled. "We will continue our discussion when everyone leaves. Perhaps we can come to some kind of consensus."

"I think it might be arranged." He whispered. "I love you, Bones."

"I love you." She said, dropping a kiss on his nose. They stared at one another for several moments, the quiet conversation between their gaze was filled with love, not frustration, and it felt as if everything was starting to realign once more. "Go check on dinner, I'll stay here with everyone else." She whispered.

"You got it." He said, dropping a kiss on her cheek, he turned and headed toward the kitchen, as Temperance joined their guests, chiming in on the most recent story of growing up in the Booth household.


	45. We Interrupt This Family Dinner

Booth had indicated that dinner was nearly done, and Antonia stood up as if it were her cue, excusing herself to set the table. "Miss Ant?" a small voice stopped her as she turned to see Fiona standing nearby, her eyes on her new friend as she tipped her head. The adult conversation continued behind her.

Antonia turned and smiled, crouching down a bit as the little girl took the cue and came quickly toward her. "I am just heading into the dining room to set the table."

"May I please help you?" She asked, her smile sweet as the corners of her eyes crinkled a bit when she smiled.

"You want to help me set the table?" Antonia asked, watching the little girl nod her head excitedly. Antonia's eyes flicked to Aiden's as he watched the exchange and she narrowed her eyes slightly with a bit of a smile. "Of course you can help." She said, taking the little girl's hand in hers, they walked together into the kitchen.

Booth could see his daughter entering the room out of the corner of his eye. He was about to make a remark when he heard Antonia's voice talking softly to someone, and he turned around to see Fiona walking in with her. "Well if it isn't one of our special guests." Booth said, leaning on the counter he watched as Fiona smiled brightly.

"Hello, sir." Fiona said, Antonia to the counter, she put her fingers on the top of the counter and looked over at him, her green eyes focused on his friendly smile.

"Sir?" Booth said, glancing to Antonia as she pulled plates from the cupboard.

"She doesn't know your name, Dad." Antonia said with a slight laugh.

"The boys call me Pops." Booth said, watching the little green eyes flick from him to Antonia as Antonia winked at her.

"Pops?" She said, a bit of a laugh in her voice as she watched Booth nod, and Antonia smile at him. "I'm helping Miss Ant, Pops." She said, taking the small basket of silverware that Antonia handed her as she carried the napkins and plates.

"I am sure she appreciates your help." Booth said, watching as Antonia pointed toward the dining room, and followed her.

"I'm a very good helper." Fiona said, looking up at Antonia as they disappeared into the dining room.

* * *

Antonia walked around the table, setting the plates at the various places as she watched Fiona fiddle with the basket and look around at the chairs with a look of concentration. "Where do you sit, Miss Ant?"

"Well, my mom sits on that end." Antonia said, pointing to the right side of the table, and Dad sits at that end." She explained. "And usually, I sit next to my mother, and then Uncle Aiden, and then your Gramma." She explained. On the other side is Gracie and Jack, Parker, and the boys."

"Where do I sit?" Fiona gasped, realizing she wasn't in the list of people Antonia had given a plate for, she looked concerned.

"See, that's where being the helper comes in handy." She said, crouching down. "You can sit anywhere you want."

"Really?" She asked, looking at the table with all of the plates. "I want to sit next to you."

"Okay… you want to sit between Uncle Aiden and I?" She asked, watching the little girl continue to look around the table.

"Nuh uh… I want to sit next to you and your mommy!"

"You do?" She asked, surprised by the little girl's exclamation.

"Yes." She nodded. "Cuz we can talk about the museum." She smiled, her eyes sparkling.

"You're really excited about that museum, aren't you?" She asked, watching the little girl nod her head as she set the basket of silverware on the table.

"Yes." She nodded, as Antonia handed her a fork and she placed it on the side of one of the plates, they continued around the table slowly. "I have never seen real dinosaur bones before." She said softly. "Are they scary?"

"Well, Tyrone can be a little intimidating." She said, looking to the little girl's confused glance as they continued setting the table. "He's the Tyrannosaurus Rex." She whispered, watching the little girl nod. "Then there's Sara… she's the Triceratops…. And Stewie, the Stegosaurus."

"Wow, you really do know all of them!" Fiona said excitedly.

"I sure do." She winked. "They make me nervous though, because they're so big." Antonia said in a scary voice.

"I'll hold your hand, Miss Ant. It'll be okay." Fiona reassured her.

"Whew, I'm glad." Antonia said in mock relief, she smiled at the little girl. "I'm glad you're my friend, Fiona."

"I'm glad you're my friend!" She smiled, picking up the basket, she noticed that they had finished their task, and she looked up at Antonia. "We're all done!"

"All done! Now let's go see if Pops is done with dinner. I'm so hungry I could eat a moose!" Antonia said, listening to the little girl's giggle as they walked together into the kitchen.

* * *

Antonia stepped into the family room to announce dinner, and then turned back to help Booth bring the meal into the dining room, her little helper following her the entire way. Everyone filed into the dining room, as Antonia told Fiona to make sure everyone found their place, she flitted into the dining room chattering away.

"Looks like you and that little one are getting along very well." Booth said, handing over a bowl of vegetables, she took it with a smile.

"It's all about capturing an interest." She smiled, shrugging. "Also, it keeps my mind off other things." She said, watching Booth's eyes meet hers for a moment. "What?"

"Are you doing alright?" He asked softly, catching a tinge of something in her eyes that he was sure was sadness, or fear.

"I'm okay." She nodded in appreciation of her father's concern. She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "I'm okay, I promise."

"Good." He said, lifting up another dish. "I have to check now and then. Between you and your mother, it's hard to tell sometimes."

"You worry too much." She said, turning toward the dining room, she could hear her father's growl of frustration as she let out a little giggle and disappeared into the next room.

* * *

When everyone was seated around the table and dinner was served, the volume was a bit muted, but still friendly and companionable, as everyone ate and conversed. Dishes were passed, stories were told, and plates were filled and devoured as dinner wore on happily. "Seeley, Temperance, the food is absolutely delicious." Liz exclaimed as she dabbed her lips with her napkin. "The whole meal has been so wonderful." She smiled.

"I'm glad that you've enjoyed it." He said with a smile. "Make sure everyone saves room for dessert." He said, watching as Grace shook her head and laughed at her father. "What? It's the best part of dinner!" He laughed.

Suddenly, there was a blare of a ring tone from the kitchen, and one from Aiden's phone as well. "Aw…Cr…" Aiden said, looking up at everyone at the table, he smirked. "Excuse me." He said as he got up and walked out of the room, following Booth.

The dinner table conversation had become quieter as they waited for them to return, unsure of exactly what the call was about, Temperance was sure she knew at least who it was. Antonia glanced to her mother and could see that knowing look in her eye, and gave her a reassuring smile. It only took a moment, and Aiden stepped into the room. He leaned down and kissed Antonia's cheek. "I have to go in."

"Was that Christopher, Aiden?" Temperance asked, glancing toward the door where Booth was still talking.

"It was someone on the team. There's a situation at the suspect's house, and Ace needs backup." He said, glancing to his mother, and back to Antonia, and to Temperance. "I really hate to…"

"It's your job, sweetheart." Liz said softly, putting her hand on her son's hand. "Fiona and I will be just fine here. Just promise me that you'll be careful."

"Of course." He nodded with a bit of a smile. "I'll see you and Fi tomorrow morning." He said, dropping a kiss on her cheek, he moved to Fiona and kissed her cheek as well.

"What's going on, Uncle Aiden, where are you going?" She whispered as he moved down to her level, his eyes moving to Antonia for a second as he watched the concern in her eyes.

"I have to go to work for a little bit, but I'll see you in the morning when we go to the museum, okay?"

"Okay." She nodded, her brow knitted with concern. "Why do you have to go to work now?" She whimpered.

Antonia moved close to the little girl's ear and gave Aiden a devilish smile. "He's a superhero, and he has to go save the world from bad guys." she whispered, as the little girl's eyes widened. "Don't tell anyone, it's a secret."

Fiona gasped and looked to Aiden. "Really?"

Aiden smiled and pressed his finger to his lips so she knew it was a secret. Just as Booth stepped in the room. "You ready, Fitz?" He asked, obviously already in his 'work' frame of mind, he apologized to everyone for their hasty exit.

"Is Pops a superhero too?" Fiona whispered to Aiden.

"He's a semi-retired super hero." Antonia said, snorting at her answer as Aiden laughed. "Right now, Uncle Aiden is his ride."

"Alright, alright… I have to go." Aiden said, dropping a kiss on Fiona's cheek, he squeezed Antonia's hand.

Booth leaned over and kissed Temperance on the cheek. "Be safe." She whispered as he kissed her again.

"Always." He said, stepping out of the dining room with Aiden behind him.

There was a moment of quiet at the table as everyone kind of let the absence of the two men sink in, and suddenly Antonia stood up. "I'll be right back." She said softly as she quickly excused herself from the dining room, not caring as everyone's eyes were on her.

She reached the door just as it was closing, calling out Aiden's name, he caught the door as she grabbed it and opened it slightly, pulling him inside for a second. "Hey, are you okay?" He asked.

"I just wanted to tell you that I love you." She said, dropping a kiss on his lips, she watched a slow smile appear. "Be careful, please."

"I'll be careful." He said. "I love you too." He said, watching the fear in her eyes, he ran his thumb over her cheek for a moment, trying to read her expression. "How are you going to..."

"I'll have Gracie bring me to my place, I can meet you at the Jeffersonian tomorrow."

"I'll call you when I'm done. I love you." He said, dropping another kiss on her lips, he squeezed her hand and disappeared out the door.


	46. Escape Plan

After Aiden and Booth left, the jovial atmosphere of dinner seemed to wane quite a bit. Dessert was served, and conversation was pleasant, but it was clear that there were a couple of people at the table who had other things on their mind. Antonia glanced to her small companion to her right and noticed the big yawn of the little girl, her hand rubbing her eye as she looked up at Antonia with a silly grin. "You look tired." Antonia whispered.

"Nah." She yawned again, giggling a little as she rubbed her eye with her palm.

"You're making me tired by not being tired." Antonia yawned, shaking her head as the little girl giggled again, and yawned.

Liz watched the exchange from her seat, noting that the little girl was starting to lean a bit toward Temperance as she smiled at Antonia. "Well, it looks like it is getting very close to someone's bedtime." She said, looking to her granddaughter and then glancing to Temperance with a smile. "Temperance, it has truly been a pleasure to meet you and your family." She said, glancing across at Grace, Jack, and Parker. She smiled at Antonia and back to Temperance. "You have a beautiful home, and a beautiful family."

"Thank you." Temperance said softly, touching the little girl's hand. "You both are welcome here anytime. I do hope that if your husband decides to make the move, that you are both able to come for dinner." She smiled.

"That would be wonderful." Liz said, as suddenly Parker appeared behind her to help her from her chair. She thanked him and glanced to Fiona as Antonia lifted her from the chair and the little girl put her head on her friend's shoulder. Temperance walked over to her and touched the little girl's cheek.

"It was a pleasure to meet you as well, Fiona." Temperance said softly.

Fiona smiled sleepily. "Nice to meet you, Bones." She said, cuddling into Antonia.

"Perhaps I'll see you tomorrow when you're on your museum adventure." She said with a smile, as the little girl's eyes lit up and she nodded her head, and they all headed toward the front door to prepare to leave.

Antonia helped Fiona with her coat, bundling the sleepy girl up, making sure she was warm and snug in her coat. Her nimble fingers moving quickly over the buttons on the girl's pea coat as she looked up into Antonia's eyes. "You look worried, Miss Ant." Fiona whispered, touching her hands to stop her from buttoning her coat.

"That's silly." She said, smiling a bit, though it was clear she was shaken by the girl's ability to see through her mask. "There's nothing to be worried about. I will see you tomorrow at the museum."

Fiona watched her warily for a moment, a small crease in her forehead that indicated her concern. "I will be just fine, get some sleep, and be good for your Gramma." She whispered, watching the smile lift on the girl's face as she buttoned the last button and lifted her into her arms. "I can walk you out, Liz." Antonia said, pulling the other woman's attention away from her conversation with Temperance, she smiled as she slipped on her shoes, electing to not grab her coat.

When everyone said their goodbyes, Antonia followed Liz to the car, holding a nearly sleeping Fiona in her arms. Liz watched as the little girl was placed in her booster seat, buckled in and a soft kiss on her cheek with the promise of seeing her the following day. When she stood up and stepped back from the car, Antonia closed the door and came face to face with Liz Fitzgerald, a slight smile on her lips as she watched Antonia for a moment, their conversation silent for a moment.

"Antonia." Liz said, moving to open the driver's side door, she watched the younger girl's expression, filled with concern and worry. "I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier." She said, watching a flash of confusion over Antonia's face for a second, though it disappeared with the cold February wind. "I may have appeared a bit cold to you this morning, and I wanted you to know that it was not an indication of my feelings toward you."

"I understand." She nodded politely, feeling a bit uneasy in her stomach, she gave Liz a weak smile as she shivered slightly. "No apology necessary."

"Aiden has always been the family sounding board. He's always been the listener in our family, and sometimes it is difficult to read him over the phone. Sometimes I have to see his eyes to speak to him. I didn't mean to intrude on your weekend, or your lives." She whispered sincerely.

"I can assure you, Liz. We had no plans for the weekend, and we were pleasantly surprised to see you and Fiona at the door. I am glad that I was able to meet you, and... I don't know if it's appropriate, but I also wanted to offer my condolences." She whispered, watching a bit of surprise in Liz's eyes. "I understand that today is a difficult day, and I hope that our family was able to lift some of that burden."

"Thank you." Liz whispered, a bit of sadness in her eyes as she watched the younger girl's sincere expression. "Aiden is a very lucky young man to have found you, Antonia. I promise that I won't let him forget that." She winked as she smiled at her. "Thank you for taking good care of him." She said, reaching for a hug, Antonia hugged her tightly, trying to push her worries deep in her mind as Liz held Antonia tightly before pulling from the hug. "Goodnight, Antonia. We will see you tomorrow." She smiled.

"Goodnight, Liz." Antonia whispered as she watched the older woman get into her car. She waited a moment as the car backed out of the driveway and moved toward the house slowly, her hand gently covering her mouth as she stifled a yawn. She looked up to see her sister and Jack in the doorway bickering as they tried to get outside.

"No, you're the one that won't ..." Grace said, mid argument as she looked up at her sister and stopped as Jack closed the door and Antonia stepped up onto the porch. "Grab your coat, we can get going." Grace said, watching Antonia glance to the door and then back to her.

Antonia looked between Grace and Jack, sensing that they had quite a bit of tension that they were attempting to work out, and she was hesitant to get into the middle of it, especially considering how she was feeling. "I think I'll just stay with Mom." She said, watching as Grace tipped her head a bit, narrowing her eyes.

"You're bailing on us? I thought we'd go get a drink or something." Grace shrugged. "It's still early." She said, looking to Jack, who was looking up with an irritated eye roll. She elbowed him lightly, and watched him grunt and glare at her, to which she stuck her tongue out at him.

"I think maybe you two need to have a little talk alone." Antonia said, shaking her head with a smirk. "I'll just stay with Mom, maybe she'll take me home. It's fine."

"Are you sure?" Jack asked, watching as Antonia shook her head. "We really don't mind."

"Nah, it's fine. " She said softly. "Have a good night." She said, walking back into the house, she watched as Parker and Temperance helped the boys into their coats. They looked sleepy and not exactly helpful in the endeavor. "Goodnight, Huey and Louie." She said, playfully, giving each of the boys a ruffle of their hair as she hugged her brother tightly.

"They'll both be fine, Toni Baloney." Parker said, giving his sister a tight squeeze, she squeezed him forcefully to knock the wind out of him for a second. "Hey... not cool." He grunted.

"That was for the nickname." She said, giving him a playful shoulder punch. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." He laughed as he ushered the boys out of the house, leaving Antonia and Temperance standing beside the door facing one another, the house now silent with the exit of the guests.

"I thought you were going home with Gracie." Temperance said, watching her daughter's eyes drop slightly as she then looked up into her mother's eyes. "You're worried about Aiden." It wasn't a question, her mother knew that look, for she had seen it in her own mirror any time Booth went out on his own without her as backup, and she was positive that her face was now mirroring her daughter's exactly.

"You're worried about Dad." Her tone was the same as her mother's and her eyes narrowed just slightly.

"Well, maybe I'm not worried." Temperance said, watching her daughter's lip slide between her teeth for a second before she took a slow, deep breath. "Maybe I'm just bored." She shrugged. "We could just go to the..."

"Do you want to come to my apartment with me? Help me um... unpack some of my boxes? Put up some bookcases?"

"Construct bookcases?" Temperance said, watching Antonia's shrugged and nodded as she watched her mother think about it for a moment.

"And a desk."

"That could take a while." Temperance said, watching a slight smile on her daughter's lips, she smiled as well.

"It's a good distraction." Antonia shrugged.

"It's a perfect distraction." Temperance smiled. "We'll need the good ice cream for this." She said, listening to her daughter's laugh as she turned and made a beeline for the kitchen.

"I'll get dad's toolbox, and meet you in the car!" Antonia laughed, shaking her head as she made her way toward the basement.


	47. The Nightmare

It was nearly 9pm when Antonia and Temperance arrived at the apartment. Booth and Aiden had been called away nearly two hours earlier, and without knowing the exact situation that they were in, it was impossible to know when they would call to check in.

Antonia unlocked the door, glancing to her mother before she opened it, she gave her a sheepish cringe. "I apologize for the mess." She said softly, gaining a suspicious glance from her mother as she opened the door. She watched her mother's eyes widen with surprise at the mess, her eyes moving quickly to Antonia.

"Antonia Elyse!" Temperance said, shaking her head as she looked around at the mess. "I didn't even think you owned this much." She said, looking around at the books and boxes strewn about the room. "Did you even put anything away earlier, or did you just dump everything on the floor?" She laughed.

"I warned you, Mom!" She said with a laugh, grabbing the bag with the ice cream from her mother, she climbed over her belongings toward the kitchen, to put it in the freezer.

"Where do we even start?" Temperance asked, looking around the room, she gave Antonia a slight smile and shook her head. "This is a very, very good distraction."

"Didn't I tell you?" Antonia laughed, waving her mother over toward the kitchen. "Why don't we start with finding some bowls for this ice cream?" She laughed, watching as Temperance nodded her head in agreement and carefully made her way toward Antonia.

* * *

Antonia and Temperance spent the next few hours unpacking, laughing, and telling stories. It was a comfortable evening for the both of them as they erased their worries with ice cream, unpacking, and a contest to see who could assemble their bookcase faster. Once the bookcases and desk were assembled, they began to pile the books into the shelves.

"So what's going on with Gracie and Jack? Any idea?" Antonia asked, sliding another book onto the shelf.

"I believe they are amidst a debate on who is going to move in with whom." Temperance said, lifting another book or two from the box, she handed them to Antonia. "Grace doesn't want to give up her apartment, and Jack wants them to get a new apartment. Grace is not pleased."

"Doesn't Jack still live at home?"

"He lives in the guest house on the grounds, but he's not in the main house." Temperance said.

"Still has the perks of his parent's refrigerator, couch, and cable. He still lives at home." Antonia nodded.

"If you're going to go by hours spent in the parent's home versus time spent at your own apartment, I believe that would have you living at home as well." Temperance said, catching Antonia's scowl out of the corner of her eye. "That's not to say that your father and I don't enjoy your company." She quickly amended her statement. "I'd much rather have you lounging around the house to overworking yourself at the lab."

"Says the woman who not only ran to the lab during an argument, but also guilted her daughter into coming home and unpacking her apartment." Antonia laughed.

"I've learned my lesson." She said, looking around at the remaining mess that they had yet to clean, though they were happy with the progress. Temperance sighed as she watched Antonia lift another few books onto a shelf and glanced at her watch. "Wow. It's nearly one in the morning." She laughed a bit nervously looking to Antonia, who could feel the tension in her mother's voice.

Antonia looked quickly up at her mother, her brow furrowing slightly. "Seriously? It's that late?" She said, glancing over at her phone, she moved toward it and picked it up, noting that there were no calls or messages. "What is taking them so long? It's making my stomach hurt." She mumbled.

"It gets easier." Temperance said, watching her daughter look up at her. "The anxiety. It does get easier."

"You're anxious, Mom. You seem just as anxious as me tonight." Antonia said, watching her mother watch her carefully.

"Because I'm worried about you." She said honestly. "I've been sending your dad off on assignments for years, but you're new to this, Aiden is new to this."

"Mom, I've always worried about Dad too. When he'd leave in the middle of the night, or the middle of dinner." Antonia explained. "It's not new to me, but I just feel like something is off."

"This is different. Your dad going off on assignment is familiar to you, but your lover… that is completely different. This is his first big assignment since his injury near Christmas. I mean, the sling just came off his arm a couple of weeks ago from his clavicle injury, and then we got this case. It's new to you. It's alright to be nervous, but it does get easier." Temperance explained.

"I hope so." Antonia whispered. "I have been on edge all night long. I just have a bad feeling, and it makes me feel uncomfortable." She said softly.

"I understand." Temperance said softly. "Do you want me to stay here until he calls? You should get some sleep, you have a long day tomorrow keeping up with Miss Fiona."

"I don't know, I feel like I should stay up and wait." Antonia whispered.

"I'll stay up." Temperance said softly. "You have some journals here, I can read through them while I wait. I'll wake you when he calls."

"Are you sure?" Antonia asked, knowing that her mother was right, but feeling a bit guilty for keeping her on alert while she slept.

"Get some rest." Temperance said, dropping a kiss on her daughter's forehead, she gave Temperance a weak smile and nodded her head. "I'll put some more books on the shelves, pick up some of these empty boxes, and then settle on the chair out here. I'll be okay."

"You're sure?"

"Toni." Temperance said, watching her daughter's eyes search hers for a moment.

"Okay." She nodded sleepily. "Thanks, Mom, and thank you for keeping me company tonight." She whispered. "I love you."

"I love you, baby girl." Temperance said, as she watched her daughter quietly retreat to her bedroom, as she continued cleaning up the apartment.

* * *

It started off softly, whimpering, crying. The darkness with flashes of light, flashes of pain. Breathing, labored.

There was the sound of feet slamming into concrete, running. Small feet slapping again and again. Water dripping, and the smell of mold and urine clung in the air as the sound of bare feet slapping against the wet concrete floor ran harder and harder. There was breathing, heaving and loud, louder with each strain of movement and whimpering.

Itchy. She felt itchy as the blanket scratched her skin, the pain in her wrists, pain on her feet, pain in her head on her face, her teeth.

Pain and the taste of blood as a gunshot sounded out.

Loud. One. Two. And a scream, a heart wrenching horrible scream.

Darkness. Darkness and the scream won't stop! Why won't it stop? Why won't the scream stop. The gunshot stopped, but the screaming wont stop. Why won't it just stop? She can hear her name. Her name, over and over. It's his voice he keeps saying it, why is he calling her? Where is he? She tries to yell out, but her voice can't be heard over the screaming, the horrible screaming.

Lights flicker, and a face appears. Bloody, gasping for air, gasping her name. "No." She whispered. "No."

She knows that face, those green eyes staring at her, lifeless. His lips moving to say her name but nothing coming out. "No!" She screamed, reaching for him as he's pulled out of her reach.

"NO! Aiden!" She screamed as she felt someone grabbing at her, grabbing at her and shaking her. "NO! Stop! Stop! Let go of me! Let go of me!" She screamed. The voice was close, calling her name, and now it was a woman's voice, a familiar voice. "Let go of me!" She screamed.

Gasping for air, her eyes flew open and she came face to face with her mother, her blue eyes wide with fear as Antonia tried to make sense of reality or dream. Her breathing was labored as she felt around her, touching the blankets, the pillow, her mother's face as she tried to determine what was reality and what was not. Her eyes were wide, her lip trembling as she watched the fear in her mother's eyes.

"Antonia." Temperance whispered, sweat on her brow, tears in her eyes as she was finally able to pull her daughter from her night terror. "Toni, it's okay. Look at me… breathe, baby." Recognition finally snapped in her daughter's face, as she suddenly felt her arms wrap around her tightly as she began to sob. "It's okay, baby. It's okay."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Antonia looked up quickly at her mother, her eyes wide. "No." Antonia whispered as she pushed herself up. "Mom, no." She whimpered.

"Toni, stay here. I will answer the door." Temperance said, knowing that her daughter wasn't going to listen. The nightmare had completely shaken her, and she was in no state of mind to be answering the door. "Toni, you have to stay here." Temperance said, feeling her daughter's resistance as she placed her palm on her shoulder. "Please." She said desperately, watching the panic in Antonia's eyes.

"No!" Antonia said, pushing against her mother's hold, they heard the knock at the door again. "It could be Aiden!" She exclaimed, pulling from her mother, she stood up and walked quickly toward the door, the sounds and sights of her nightmare still fresh in her mind.

"Antonia! Please!" Temperance exclaimed from behind her, as she reached for her daughter's shoulder just as she swung the door open.

Antonia froze for a split second the moment her eyes clashed with the brown eyes on the other side of the door. Her head shook as she took in her father's appearance, disheveled and haggard, exhausted. His white shirt held streaks of red, the remnants of a handprint on what looked like an attempt to clean the fresh blood from his clothes. "No." Antonia whispered, her breath caught in her throat, her heart beating so loudly in her ears that she couldn't hear her father's plea for her to stop, or feel her mother's hands on her shoulders as she tried to hold her in place for a moment. "No! No! No! No!" She exclaimed suddenly.

"Toni." Booth said, recognizing the unseeing terror in her eyes, the tears already pouring down her face. "Toni, listen." He said, his voice calm. "Toni, look at me."

"No! NO!" She screamed, knowing that it should have been Aiden at her door, not her father. "Get out! Get out!" She screamed, pushing her father with both hands, he stumbled backwards and she slammed the door closed and ran for the bathroom, nearly knocking over her mother as she fled. She stumbled into the bathroom, swinging the door closed behind her, she slammed her hand down on the lock and crawled into the bathtub as she felt herself quickly falling to pieces.


	48. Unpacking

Her body sit curled in the bathtub, her fingernails scratching against her face and arms as she pinched her skin, feeling the pain that only made her feel worse knowing that what was happening was real. She held her hands over her ears, gritting her teeth hard as she continued to shout, feeling her teeth grind together.

"No! No! No!" She screamed. She could barely hear her parent's voices on the other side of the door, pounding on the wooden door as they tried to gain entry. She pounded her heel into the porcelain tub. "Leave me alone! Leave me alone!" She screamed.

Under the cloudy sounds of her hands on her ears and the screeching cry that was emitted from her lips, she heard the sickening crack of wood as the door frame split, her father's form tumbling into the room and dropping to his knees beside the bathtub. "Antonia!" He exclaimed, reaching for her as she swatted and scratched at him, closing her eyes tightly as she held her arms against her ears.

"No! I'm invisible! I'm invisible!" She shouted, sobbing as she felt her body trembling, her brain moving scenario after scenario through her mind like a sickening movie reel of death, blood, and altered reality. She rocked herself back and forth, her mind completely closed off to outside stimuli as her parents desperately tried to get her attention.

"Antonia. Antonia, please look at me." Booth begged. "Please, baby. Please." He tried to reach out to her, but she slapped his hands, scratched him, and shook her head, her body trembling violently as she rode wave after wave of the panic attack, or mental break, whichever seemed to be occurring faster. "Please, please, Antonia!" His voice was desperate and broken and he didn't know what to do.

Suddenly, and without warning, Temperance reached forward over her husband and grabbed the sprayer from the shower, she aimed the sprayer at her daughter and yanked the water on, sending a wave of cold water over Antonia and Booth, her eyes snapping to her mother's as she let the cold water hit her, Antonia's dark eyes lightening as the water hit her face, focusing on her mother's pain filled blue eyes as she shook her head, a stern and serious expression on her face.

"Bones, what the hell are you doing?" Booth exclaimed, feeling the cold water on his skin, as suddenly the sobbing stopped, the screaming stopped, and now Antonia simply sat in the bathtub, rocking quietly, her hiccups slowing, her body now soaked, trembling as she mumbled to herself as she stared up at her mother with a pain filled expression, whimpering. Booth pulled on the faucet to turn off the water, and Temperance grabbed a towel from the towel rack and handed it to Booth as he wrapped Antonia tightly in the towel, her attention now moved to her hands as Booth tried desperately to get her to respond, begging for her to look at him. "Antonia, please look at me. Please, you're killing me here."

"Booth, just tell her the damn truth already!" Temperance exclaimed. "Tell her what happened! For God's sake!" She shouted, watching as Antonia's teeth chattered. Temperance crawled into the bathtub behind Antonia, pulling her daughter's body into her, as she trembled against her mother's warm body, her hands clinging to her mother's hands as she quietly mumbled under her breath.

"Aiden is okay, Toni. He's alive." Booth whispered, listening to his daughter's quiet chanting as she kept her eyes focused down, as she stared at her mother's hands holding hers. "Aiden is okay. He's okay." Booth looked up at Temperance and he could see the sadness and panic in her eyes. "Bones?" He couldn't tell if he was reaching her, there was still no response.

"Where is he?" Temperance asked.

"He's at the hospital right now, he's getting stitched up. He's with Ace. The attacker rushed me, and... and Aiden jumped the guy to protect me. He had a knife." Booth whispered. "Aiden sent me here to tell you that he's okay, Antonia. He didn't want to tell you over the phone. He's okay, Toni."

"Booth, you need to call him, right now." Temperance said, feeling Antonia's breathing become more labored, her teeth chattering more violently. "Call him now!" She exclaimed as Booth stumbled backwards a bit, reaching for his phone, he started to dial. "She needs to hear his voice." She said, her voice calmer as Antonia turned her head and buried her face into her mother's neck. "I have you, baby." She whispered.

Booth listened on the line for a moment. "Ace? I need Fitz."

"Aiden." Temperance said firmly, trying to separate work from personal, trying to get Antonia to respond.

"Aiden. Is Aiden there? How is he doing?"

"Booth!" Temperance exclaimed.

"I need him to talk to Antonia." Booth barked, glaring at Temperance, he listened to Ace as he watched Temperance glare back at him. "Well, get him on the phone." He looked up at Temperance. "They have him on some pretty heavy painkillers."

Temperance reached forward and grabbed the phone from Booth, glaring at him the entire time. "Christopher, you will put Aiden on the phone right now! I don't care if he's higher than a kite at a fourth of July picnic. If you don't put him on the damn phone right now, I'm going to… thank you." She said, putting the phone on speaker, she waited for a moment, her eyes softening as she looked to Booth. "Aiden?" She said into the line. "Aiden, are you there?"

"Uh, hey. This Doctor Brennan?" Aiden's slightly slurred voice came over the line.

"Yep, you're on speaker phone here, Aiden. Antonia is very concerned about you." Temperance said, her voice soft and almost coddling as she felt her daughter's body start to relax in her arms.

"Hey, Tex." He said, a smile clearly on his lips as he held the phone tightly in his hand. "Hey, I'm okay, Tex."

Antonia spoke not a word. She stared at the phone and trembled slightly. "Aiden, where is your injury? She wants to know how bad it is."

"Um, it's on my arm. Not too deep, but it hurts. They're almost done stitching me up. They wanted to make sure I didn't have any muscle or nerve damage." He said, his voice clearer than when he first got on the phone. "I… I'm sorry." He said, his voice suddenly soft and full of anxiety as he waited for her to respond. "Tex, are you there?"

"She's here, Aiden." Temperance said softly, feeling Antonia's rocking slowly stop.

"Did your dad find you? I told him to find you so you weren't worried. I didn't want you to worry about me."

"Booth is here, Aiden."

"Tex, please talk to me." He whimpered. "Please. I'm sorry I got hurt again. I'm sorry I'm a screw up." He mumbled into the phone. "I love you."

Antonia whispered something, and Temperance couldn't hear it, she whispered for her to speak up a little. "It's okay, baby. Just speak up." She whispered.

"I love you." Antonia whimpered, her voice trembling as she closed her eyes tightly.

"There's my girl." Aiden said, the fear in his voice obvious and raw. "Hey, I'm tired. Are you tired?"

"Yes." She whispered, clearing her throat as she finally flicked her eyes up to her father, the look of sorrow in her eyes was intense. "Yes." She said, her voice a little stronger.

"I'm almost done here, Ace was going to bring me home. Do you want him to bring me there?" Aiden asked. "I can have him bring me there."

Her eyes were on her father, his wet shirt, scratches across his arm from her fighting him, his eyes filled with a deep sadness, and she could feel the cold wetness of her clothes and hair from the shower as her mother's embrace held her tight and warm against her. She turned her head to look at her mother, and could feel a deep, raw embarrassment and shame as it burned her skin. "No." She whispered. "No, go home. It's okay." She whispered. "My apartment is a mess." She whispered. "Just go home, it's okay. Get some sleep. I love you." She whispered as she buried her face in her mother's body and began to cry.

"I love you, Tex." Aiden whispered, his voice sounding far away as he listened to her heartbreaking sobs. "Please don't cry. Please. I love you. I'm sorry."

"Aiden, be sure to send a message to let us know you arrived at your apartment safely." Temperance whispered. "Booth and I are here, we've got her."

"Thank you." He whispered. "I love you, Tex." He whispered, as the phone disconnected.

When the sound of the phone disconnected, all that could be heard was Antonia's sobbing into Temperance. She looked up at Booth, who carefully pulled himself to his feet, watching his wife as she looked up at him with a concerned frown, and his daughter as she cried into her mother's body.

"You have to go home." Temperance said, her voice soft, she watched him shake his head. "Booth, you have to go home. I can take care of her tonight."

"But Bones, she…" He said as he crouched down to them, he reached for Antonia's hand and she grasped it tightly. It was cold and weak, and it made his heart hurt to see her so broken.

"I have her. You have to go home, because you can't have… you have to change your clothes, Booth." She said, as he looked down at his t-shirt. He noticed the dark red smears on his shirt, and looked back to Temperance with an alarmed expression. "It's fine, it's okay now. You have to go home. Go home and get some sleep. I have her." Her sobs had subsided and she sat awkwardly against Temperance, sniffling, her hand still holding Booth's.

"Bones."

"Booth. I have her." She said sternly, watching as he nodded his head. He released her hand and reached over and touched his daughter's chin, pulling her face so that he could see into her eyes.

"I love you, Antonia. I'm sorry I scared you. I didn't mean to scare you."

Her eyes flicked down, and she closed them tightly as a tear squeezed from the corner of her eye. "I love you, Daddy." She whispered, her voice hoarse from screaming, she trembled from the cold. "I know you didn't mean to scare me." She whispered.

"We'll talk when I get home." Temperance said, watching as Booth nodded.

"I love you, Bones." He whispered, watching her tip her head and return his sentiment, he squeezed her hand and slowly made his way to the door, quietly leaving the two women in the bathroom. They listened as they heard him make his way out of the apartment, closing the door firmly behind him.

* * *

Temperance kissed Antonia's head tenderly as she held her in her arms. "Are you ready to get up?" She whispered, feeling her daughter nod against her, she slowly released her grip as she stood up, her own clothes soaked through as well. "I'm sorry about the little impromptu shower there." She said, watching Antonia's eyes move to hers, they held a hint of humor within them.

"It's okay." Antonia whispered. She stepped out of the bathtub, followed by Temperance, who grabbed another towel on the towel rack for herself. "I have some clothes you can borrow." She said softly, feeling her mother's tender kiss on her cheek as she took her hand and they walked back into the living area of the apartment. Antonia turned to glance at the bathroom door, she winced when she saw the split wood of the door frame.

"Don't worry about that, your father will fix it." Temperance said, ushering Antonia toward the bedroom. "He's become quite skillful at fixing door frames over the years." She was sure that she heard a soft chuckle from Antonia as they entered the bedroom quietly.

* * *

After they both changed into sweats, Temperance lay on the twin mattress with her daughter, running her fingers through her hair as she refused to sleep. They didn't need to speak, only be there together as Temperance kissed her temple softly. Temperance closed her eyes as she held her, her eyelids feeling heavy as sleep attempted to take her over.

"Mom?" Antonia whispered, her voice soft as she stared into the darkness of the room.

"Hm…" Temperance mumbled, her voice filled with sleep as she waited for her daughter's response.

"I think someone is at the door." She whispered.

"Hm?" Temperance asked, lifting her head, she listened, switching on the bedside lamp.

"I think someone knocked." Antonia whispered. "Not very hard, but…"

"Stay here." Temperance said, climbing from the bed, she glanced back to Antonia, who just shook her head sleepily at her mother. "I'm serious."

"I'll stay here."

Temperance left the room, closing the door securely. Antonia lay in the bed, listening for a moment. She heard no voices, only the sound of her mother moving around in the living area. She was gone for several minutes, and when she didn't come back right away, Antonia began to feel alarmed. "Mom?" Antonia called, sitting up slightly, she listened "Mom?" She called again.

After a moment, the bedroom door opened, and it wasn't Temperance who peeked her head inside, but the form of a taller, more masculine body type. "Tex?"

Antonia gasped, tears springing to her eyes as she heard his voice and saw his face in the filtered moonlight, and the light from the bedside table. "Aiden." She called, though it was more of a yelp as she watched him enter the room slowly.

He lifted his left arm, she supposed it was his good arm, and she moved quickly toward him, pulling her arms around him as she buried her face in his chest. "You came for me." She sobbed. "You came for me."

"Hey, I can't sleep without my best girl." He whispered into her hair. "Oh, Tex." He whispered. "Still a little dizzy here. I am going to have to sit down." He said as she pulled him toward the bed, tugging him lightly as she sat him down. She stood above him and put her hands on his face as she looked into his eyes. She leaned down and pressed her forehead to his as she held his face in her hands. "Hey, I'm real." He whispered. "I'm okay, I'm real." He said, feeling teardrops falling to his skin. "I'm okay."

"I thought I lost you." She said, running her hand over his bandaged right arm, she watched his gentle flinch.

"I know. I could hear it in your voice. I knew you needed to see me. I needed to see you." He said softly.

"Where's my mother?" Antonia whispered, glancing to the door, she looked back to Aiden.

"Ace is going to take her home. Is that okay?" He whispered. "Can I stay?"

"Yes." She whispered, turning her head as the door opened, and Temperance peeked inside.

"Are you okay here?" Temperance asked. "Christopher is going to bring me home."

"Okay." Antonia whispered. "Thank you, Mom. Thank you for everything." She whispered. "I love you. Tell Daddy I love him too." She whispered

"I love you, baby. Get some sleep." She said softly. "I'm glad to see you're still kicking there, Agent Fitzgerald."

"Yes, Ma'am." Aiden said playfully as he gave her a sleepy smile.

"Take care of our girl."

"I will, I promise." He whispered as they watched Temperance slip from the door, closing it securely behind her.

Antonia turned to face him again, her hands once again on his face as she looked at him. "I'm sorry my bed is so small." She whispered.

"Doesn't matter, as long as I'm holding you in it." He said as he carefully stood up. He kissed her gently on the lips and she turned to lay down on her mattress gently, tugging at his good arm, as he lay down against her, trying to get as comfortable as possible so that he could hold her despite his pain.

"Aiden?" She whispered, feeling his body tightly against her as she breathed in his scent and felt his warmth, slowly falling under his spell.

"Hmm…" He groaned against her lightly as he dropped a kiss on her forehead.

"I unpacked my boxes for you." She mumbled against him. "You can't go anywhere for a very, very long time."

"It's a deal." He mumbled against her, as they fell asleep, wrapped up in one another, peacefully.


	49. All Wrapped Up

**3:49am**

Temperance took a look at her watch as she entered the house, noting that the family room light was still on. She closed the door and locked it, looking around for any indication that Booth was still awake. It was nearly 4am, and she was sure that the long evening had finally caught up with him. She pulled her coat off and hung it on the hook, rolling her eyes at the box of paperwork she had brought from the lab and hadn't even looked at. She slipped her shoes off and took the stairs slowly, stepping to the top she was confused when she noticed that the light to Antonia's old bedroom was on, the door closed securely.

She stepped into the room warily, though fairly sure that it had just been left on when Luke and Nate were upstairs looking for a game or toys to play with. As soon as she opened the door, she saw the pair of legs hanging off the end of the bed awkwardly, and shook her head, finding her husband curled on his side at the end of the bed, a book in his hands as he snored into the blankets.

She walked to the bed and gently sat down, watching him sleep for a moment, his nose twitching slightly. She pulled the book from his fingertips, a well worn copy of 'The Secret Garden', Antonia's favorite book and one of her most prized possessions. She watched his eyes open slowly, and lifted her eyebrows. "Your daughter is going to kill you when she realizes it's missing." She said, nodding toward the book.

"She doesn't have to know it was me." He mumbled, reaching for the book, he snatched it from her hands and pressed it against his chest as if he were trying to protect it from something. "Why are you here? Is she okay?" He asked sleepily, trying to sit up, he found his back stiff and aching. "Is she here?"

"She's at her apartment." Temperance said, helping to pull him into a sitting position, she watched a flash of confusion on his face. "Aiden showed up." She said softly. "Christopher said he wouldn't relax in the car, and he was extremely concerned about Antonia, so he brought him to her. Christopher drove me home, since you took the truck when you left." She said, watching as he nodded. "Booth." Temperance said, watching his eyes move to hers for a moment, she could see the questions in his eyes.

"I haven't seen that look in her eyes in a very long time, Bones. I prayed that I would never see it again. She was…" Booth shook his head, resting his head in his hand, he rubbed his face. "She was just terrified." He looked over toward her, watching her nod.

"It didn't help that she had just woken from a nightmare. It all happened so quickly, and I… I couldn't stop her, and then in the bathroom. I couldn't think of another way to get her to stop, to get her to focus. I felt horrible for turning the shower on, for doing that to her. I felt horrible, like a bad mother."

"Bones." Booth said, pulling her to him as he kissed her head, she buried her head in his shoulder for a moment. "There has not been one moment, in your entire experience of being a mother, where you have been bad at it. You needed to get her to focus, you needed her to stop. Antonia understands, Bones. She's not going to hold it against you."

"I just feel awful for her. I don't know if she can do it, Booth." Temperance whispered. "I don't know if she can handle the stress of him going out on assignment. Knowing what I went through with you, knowing that pain. I think it's affected her. I think that it's ingrained in her psyche, in her fears. Booth, he's been hurt twice, he seems extremely prone to injury. I feel like it's only a matter of time before her heart is broken because something happened to him. I don't know how she'll handle it." She whispered.

"Antonia will be fine, Bones. Aiden is a good agent. He's green, and yeah he got into a bit of a scuffle this time, but those situations are few and far between. He's a good shot, and he's a worthy partner." Booth whispered. "He saved my life, Bones. He's the reason that we both were able to come home tonight." Booth said seriously, watching her eyes for a moment as she judged his sincerity. "He's a good man for her, Bones and she is one of the strongest people that I know. She had a moment of insanity, a moment of weakness. We're all allowed to have those once in a while, right?"

"I don't like it when she hurts."

"I don't either. But she has us, she has her sister, her brother. She has a long line of people who support her and love her if God forbid something were to happen to Aiden."

"I don't want anything to happen to you either." She whispered, nudging him with her elbow.

"You and your daughter both worry too much." He said, feeling her nudge him again.

"You sound like Antonia." She said.

"Let's get to bed." He mumbled, pulling himself into a standing position, he reached his hand out for her.

She took his hand and pulled herself up against him and kissed him softly. "Leave the book in here."

"Just one more chapter?" He said, tipping his head as he watched her shake her head at him, he set the book on the bed and laughed. "I love you, Bones. I would do anything for you." He whispered.

"Go on this lecture tour with me." She said, watching as his eyes lit up a bit, a slight smile on her lips as he grinned.

"Four months, no lab… no guns, no danger, no kids… are you sure you can handle that?" He asked. "Four months of me?"

"You know what, you're right… never mind." She said, turning and walking out of the room, she laughed out loud when she heard him run up alongside her and put his arm over her shoulder.

"This is going to be the longest four months of your life." Booth laughed, as he kissed her cheek.

"It's already starting to seem that way, isn't it?" She giggled, as she turned toward their bedroom, and pulled him along with her.

* * *

 **7am**

When Antonia opened her eyes and noticed that the spot beside her on the bed was empty, she had a moment of panic. The winter sunrise was glowing in the window, and the apartment was silent. She breathed deeply as all of the memories of the previous night came flooding back to her. She sat up straight in bed, her heart pounding in her chest as she looked around for any indication that he had been there. She could feel a tightness in her throat, and her teeth gritted as she closed her eyes for a moment and tried to control her breathing.

She didn't hear the door open, but when she opened her eyes, she was looking directly into his as he stood holding a book in his hand, watching her. He could see the panic quickly replaced by relief. "Oh, God. Tex." He said, approaching her quickly, he fell to his knees, setting the book in his hands on the floor. "Tex, Tex." He said, taking her hand in his, he flinched a little at the movement of his arm, and she took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in her throat.

"I thought it was a dream." She whimpered.

"No." He shook his head. "Nope, this isn't a dream. I can pinch you if you want me to."

"Do you want a bandage on your other arm?" She whispered, letting out a laugh with her held in breath, listening to his light laughter as she put her hands on his cheeks again. "I love you so much." She whispered.

"Threats out of one side of your mouth, and a proclamation of love from the other side." He shook his head with a light laugh. "That's my girl right there." He whispered.

"What happened last night?" She asked, taking his hand as he sat down beside her, watching as he turned slightly, her eyes flicking to the bandage on his arm, and back to his face as she waited for his explanation.

"Well, um… Ace was at one of our suspects associate's apartments, he was serving a search warrant when he pulled a knife on Ace. He said he had a child in the apartment, and if we came in, he was going to kill the child."

"So a bit of a situation." Antonia said, watching him explain as he ran his fingers across her hand.

"Yeah." Aiden sighed, looking to his hands. "Ace had some backup, but he called your Dad and I in as backup, because we were familiar with the suspects and the case. Ace held him off for as long as he could, called us in. We determined there wasn't a kid in the apartment, and had men at all of the windows to make sure he didn't escape. We got there, had our vests on, and after a couple hours of reconnaissance we breached the apartment together. He was nowhere in sight, we started checking rooms, and he came flying out of a closet at us, knife in hand. He was literally inches from your father's neck, when I just… I don't know what came over me, I just rammed him with my shoulder, sending him across the room into some furniture. He was still struggling, and ended up slicing up my arm pretty good. Ace was able to get him handcuffed, but I was bleeding a lot." He said, looking up into her eyes. "I just kept thinking about you, and how you told me to be careful, and how I was going to end up disappointing you." She whispered.

"You saved my father's life, Aiden." She said softly, sighing. "I can't be disappointed in that." She said, watching him for a moment.

"I was really freaking out on the way to the hospital." He said, shaking his head. "And of course we have to go through all of the protocol bullshit when someone is injured. I just kept thinking about how late it was getting, and about how the last thing I wanted to do was call you and tell you that I was stabbed. I knew that you'd want to come find me, that you'd need to see me, and then they drugged me up, and I was just… I asked your Dad to come here. I didn't know your mom was here."

"We did some unpacking." She said with a slight smile.

"I see that." He laughed a bit. "I noticed the bathroom door." He said, watching her eyes move from him, a blush moving up her cheeks as she sighed. "Are you okay?"

"I may have over-reacted." She whispered, covering her face with her hand, she stood up and started to walk toward the door. He was about to call out to her when she turned around. "I told you that I have these nightmares. Right?"

"You mentioned them." He nodded. "I assume they have to do with your… childhood trauma." He said, watching her nod gratefully for not going into detail. "Did you have a nightmare last night?"

"Yes. Night terror, really." She said, taking a step forward. Her nightmares were rarely talked about, but his eyes were so sincere, his concern palpable. She watched him for a moment before continuing.

"It was different. It wasn't the same dream I usually have, this was, I don't know, more terrifying." She whispered, turning from him for a moment, she tried to ward off the visions of her nightmare. "It was worse than anything I've ever experienced." She whimpered. It was only a second before she felt his hand on her shoulder, his thumb slowly kneading her t-shirt into her skin, she could feel him tugging her just slightly for her to turn around. She turned around and looked up into his eyes. "I woke up screaming. I think that I scared my mother, she looked petrified." Antonia whispered. I don't know if I took a swing at her, she didn't say that I did, but…"

"You've never had a nightmare when you've been with me, nothing that I can remember." Aiden said softly.

"No." She shook her head. "I never know when they'll happen, but they can be extremely vivid." She said, watching his gentle nod. "Mom managed to pull me from the nightmare, and I don't know what happened, but the images and the adrenaline of the dream just seemed to mess with me, and when Dad showed up, all I kept thinking about was how it was supposed to be you on the other side of that door." She swallowed. "He had your blood on his shirt, and… and I just lost it." She whispered. "I started having a massive panic attack. I don't remember it. I just… I remember being in the bathroom, and the next thing I knew, my mother was over me, spraying me with the shower, and my dad was..." She whispered. "Oh, God. I have to call my Dad." She whispered as she turned from him, feeling his hand on her arm to stop her.

"Tex, it's not even 7am. He had a long night, he's probably sleeping."

"No, no." She said, shaking her head, looking around the room for her phone. "I should really call him. Mom told him to leave, and… and I need to make sure he's okay." She said, turning to leave the room, she felt him pull her back toward him, she turned and came face to face with him again. "What?"

"Your mother went home, your dad is fine."

"But I…"

"Let him rest. It's okay. He knows you're alright. Let him sleep a little longer." Aiden said, watching the concern in her eyes. He kissed her forehead tenderly and took another look into her eyes, her worries seemingly staved off for the time being. "Here, sit with me." He said, pulling her toward the bed, she climbed onto the mattress and sat against the pillows, watching as he pulled his leg up onto the bed to turn and face her. "We are pretty sure the knife that he used was the murder weapon." He said, watching her eyes move to his again. "We'll see if we can get a confession out of him."

"But you're not certain it's the murder weapon."

"No." He shook his head. "That's your job. It'll be at the lab." He said, watching her eyes light up a little. "You can't go to the lab today though."

"Why not?" She asked, a hint of a whine mixed in with her question.

"We have a date with a very impatient fan of dinosaur bones." He reminded her, watching a slight smile on her lips, he tipped his head. "Tex." He said softly.

"Well, the museum doesn't open until 10am." She shrugged, watching his head shake slightly with a smile on his face. "I could already be there." She smiled, batting her eyelashes as he let out a laugh. "You won't even have to pick me up."

"I can't believe you're trying to charm me into letting you go to work!" He shook his head.

"It's my safe space." She said, watching as he nodded his head, then shook it again when he watched her eyes light up. "Please?" She asked, reaching her hand out, she touched his wrist lightly and gave him an expectant glance.

"Now you're trying to guilt me into it?" He asked, watching her playful nod. "Fine." He said, laughing. "I don't mind if you go to the lab, but only if you can find a way to get the crazy asshole that stabbed me put away for a long time."

"You got it." She smiled, squeezing his wrist lightly as she sighed, watching as he lovingly looked into her eyes for a moment.

* * *

 **9:50am**

Antonia was standing in one of the rooms adjacent to Hodgins' office, the peacefulness of a Sunday morning at the lab was something that could be beat by little else. Her eyes were focused on particulates from one of the items that the FBI had dropped off from the first suspects crime scene, for she knew that the items that were obtained the night before wouldn't be in the lab until the next work day. She focused on the microscope, her hair pulled back, her lab coat snug against her body, she felt relaxed and in control. Her eyes lifted when she heard the doors to the lab whoosh open, and glanced to her watch noting that it was still early, and that Aiden wasn't expecting to meet her at the front of the building for another ten minutes.

She stepped around the microscope, and out the door, noticing the tall form of Aiden as he glanced toward the platform. "Agent Fitzgerald, I was sure that we agreed upon meeting at the front door." She stated, sounding all the world like her mother in tone and inflection.

His head snapped in her direction, and immediately a smile was on his lips. He glanced back to the doors and to Antonia as she looked toward the focus of his attention. "Someone is impatient." He said, indicating the little ball of energy as she stood hopping on the balls of her feet, a bright grin on her face as she stood with her grandmother just inside the doors of the lab.

"I can see that." She said, laughing.

"I was talking about me." He said, leaning forward to kiss her cheek.

"Cute." She winked as she stepped over toward Fiona, who was told not to take another step forward by her Uncle, and was trying so hard to abide by his demand. "You're early!" Antonia laughed toward Fiona, as she held beckoned Liz and Fiona toward her. She lifted the little girl into her arms as she exclaimed her excitement.

Liz was looking around at the vast sea of stainless steel walls and equipment, her eyes wide with wonder. "So this is the infamous Jeffersonian lab that Aiden says you always escape to?"

"It is." Antonia smiled proudly, as if showing off a new toy. "It's where I keep all of my toys." She said, watching Aiden shake his head. "Just let me put my lab coat away, and grab my things. Aiden, you may show them around if you like. No platform, and I'd stay away from the ooky room, but the rest of the lab is fine."

"You got it, Doctor Booth." He said, smiling as she handed Fiona over to him, watching her settle on his good arm.

"I'll be right back." She said, rushing off toward the locker room.

"I thought you said she was feeling a bit down today." Liz said softly, indicating his arm.

"The lab always seems to perk her up, but I think she is just excited about the museum." He said, nodding toward the lab. "Here, I'll show you guys around." He said, setting Fiona down, he took her hand and walked them around the lab.

Antonia stepped into the locker room to change out of her lab coat, and run a brush through her hair. She stared at her reflection in the mirror and sighed at the sight before her. She looked tired and worn from her late night, the bruise on her eye fading quicker with each passing day, but still a bit dark. Her lips parted slightly, showing the crooked smile that she often hid behind a glare of concentration, and the dark eyes that matched her father's were sparkling a bit more than usual today.

She closed her eyes, feeling the drowsy sensation of her self-reassurance wash over her body, when she heard her phone interrupt her moment of peace. She lifted it to her ear and smiled. "Booth." She said in the line, smiling at her reflection for a moment.

"Hey, that's my line." Her father said with a laugh, chuckling at his joke as he imagined she was rolling her eyes, though she just kept steady her stare with herself, imagining him sitting at the table in the diner with his late breakfast. "Where are you?"

"Where do you think I am?"

"Workaholic."

"Pain in my..."

"Watch it." He warned, laughing a bit. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm tired. I'm grateful. I'm a little bit hungry." She said, listening to his laugh. "I'm okay, Dad. Are you alright? I was going to call earlier, but Aiden told me to let you sleep."

"He's a good man." Booth said with a laugh. "I'm alright, kid. Enjoy your day at the museum, tell Fiona that Pops says hello. Send my regards to Tyrone." He said, remembering the kid's name for the dinosaur.

"I'll be sure to tell them. I love you, Dad."

"I love you, kid."

"Oh, Dad?" Antonia said, sighing as she shook her head with a stern expression, though she was starting to smile.

"Hm?"

"I want my book back." She said, listening to him laugh.

"Bye, Toni. Be safe."

"So long as I know what's expected of me, I can manage." Antonia quoted a line from the book to her father, she heard his gentle laugh and the soft click of the phone.

She shoved her phone into her pocket and pulled her brush through her hair, her eyes brighter, her face looked less tired. She took a deep breath and turned, hanging her lab coat in her locker, and setting her brush on its shelf, she grabbed an item out of the locker, closed the door turned and walked toward the exit of the locker room. She stepped out and around the corner, and came nearly face to face with Aiden. "Are you ready to go?" She asked with a grin.

"I was just coming to look for you."

"No need." She said, smiling at Liz, she crouched down to Fiona. "I have a little something for you."

"For me?" she asked, her green eyes glittering, and the surprise in her expression precious.

"This." She said, holding up a small, child sized lab coat. "This is one of my lab coats from when I was just about your age." She said, pointing out the Jeffersonian logo on it that Hodgins had sewn on. "See, this lets everyone in the museum know that you work here." She said, watching the surprise in her eyes.

"Really? For me?"

"Of course!" Antonia said with a nod. "You're a very important person." She said, helping Fiona get the lab coat on, she looked up at Aiden as he shook his head and smiled at her. "I have my ID here…" She said, holding up her key card with the same logo. "So we can go anywhere in the museum you want."

"Even the dinosaur's dressing room?" Aiden asked, attempting a joke. Antonia looked up at him with a scowl.

"Uncle Aiden…" Fiona said, setting her face in her palm as she shook her head. "Dinosaurs don't have dressing rooms." She shook her head and looked to Antonia as Antonia shook her head as faux disdain.

"Boys." Antonia sighed.

"I know." Fiona sighed, smiling up at her Uncle as he laughed.

"So are we done making fun of me? Are we going to go now? Please? Please?" Aiden asked as he looked to his mother's head shake.

"Who's the kid now?" Fiona said, laughing as she took Antonia's hand.

"I know, right?" Antonia said, as she and Fiona walked hand in hand out of the lab, with Aiden and Liz following behind.

 **THE END... of... this story.**

 **1\. Comment/Review if you like.**

 **2\. Let me know if you'd like another installment... (Cuz I have one in mind...)  
**

 **3\. Thank you for playing along...**

 **Love and Sid, PJ.**


	50. Author's note

**The next story in the series is entitled:**

 **Sense of Danger**

 **Enjoy... and make sure you review... I need to know there are folks out there reading! :)**

 **Love and Sid, PJ.**


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